The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Space => Topic started by: kevindavis007 on May 25, 2020, 07:16:30 pm
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I know this is a bit early, but why not!
Finally, after how long, we get to see Americans get to launch from American Made Rockets, from American soil.
SpaceX Live Feed: https://www.spacex.com/launches/ (https://www.spacex.com/launches/)
NASA Live Feed: https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg (https://youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg)
ABC News & Nat Geo: https://youtu.be/VJ7-UjXO8hw (https://youtu.be/VJ7-UjXO8hw)
I'm sure there are others. If you find anything else post them here..
Shepard's Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVIs1bnIcCY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVIs1bnIcCY)
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:2popcorn:
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https://www.spacex.com/launches/ (https://www.spacex.com/launches/)
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, May 27 for Falcon 9’s launch of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration (Demo-2) mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This test flight with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board the Dragon spacecraft will return human spaceflight to the United States.
The instantaneous launch window opens at 4:33 p.m. EDT, or 20:33 UTC, with backup instantaneous launch opportunities available on Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC, and on Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, or 19:00 UTC. Tune in here to watch the launch webcast. Coverage will begin about 4 hours before liftoff.
Countdown
Min/Sec Event
- 45:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
- 42:00 Crew access arm retracts
- 37:00 Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
- 35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
- 35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
- 05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power
- 01:00 Command flight to begin final prelaunch checks
- 01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
- 00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
- 00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
- 00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
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Timeline: How Nasa, SpaceX prepared for this week's historic launch to space
Houston Chronicle by Andrea Leinfelder May 26, 2020
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/NASA-SpaceX-launch-space-historic-high-stakes-15290196.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/NASA-SpaceX-launch-space-historic-high-stakes-15290196.php)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — This week's liftoff of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken is a complicated, high-stakes endeavor.
Take Mission Control. The astronauts won't just be talking to Houston throughout their mission. They'll also be talking to Hawthorne, Calif., home to Elon Musk's SpaceX. The private company owns the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft that will propel Hurley and Behnken to the International Space Station. So control rooms in three time zones — Florida, Texas and California — will be involved.
And their flight, scheduled to launch Wednesday at 3:33 p.m. CT, is actually a test flight. It's the final major milestone before SpaceX receives NASA certification to begin more routine launches to the space station.
It’s a joint project years and countless hours of work in the making, with both NASA and SpaceX helping with program costs, vehicle development and crew training. The final preparations started almost two weeks ago. Here is a glimpse at the timeline, with details on the expected launch and overall mission objectives:
May 13: Quarantine
Hurley and Behnken went into quarantine. While this is standard protocol to prevent carrying a virus into space, their quarantine has additional safeguards due to the new coronavirus. All who interact with Hurley and Behnken during their two-week quarantine are being screened to ensure they don’t have a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms. The astronauts themselves, as well as anyone in direct, close contact with them, are being tested for the virus.
More at link.
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Here are some ways to watch tomorrows launch:
https://www.isn-news.com/2020/05/spacex-and-nasa-launch-date-time-tv.html (https://www.isn-news.com/2020/05/spacex-and-nasa-launch-date-time-tv.html)
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Can't wait to see it..
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Can't wait to see it..
I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.
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I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.
Discovery Channel will televise it starting 2pm est
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Good Morning
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NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2: Preflight Checkouts, NASA Administrator Briefing and Launch Weather
NASA - Commercial Crew Program
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/26/nasas-spacex-demo-2-preflight-checkouts-nasa-administrator-briefing-and-launch-weather/ (https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/26/nasas-spacex-demo-2-preflight-checkouts-nasa-administrator-briefing-and-launch-weather/)
Only one day remains until the planned liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying two American astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for Wednesday, May 27, at 4:33 p.m. EDT from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch window is instantaneous.
Prior to tomorrow’s targeted launch of the Crew Demo-2 mission, SpaceX will bring the rocket horizontal to perform additional preflight checkouts of Falcon 9, Crew Dragon, and the ground support system, including an inspection of the ground-side chilled water radiator feed that keeps Crew Dragon cool before launch. Today’s checkouts do not impact the flight system or targeted launch date, and the vehicle is scheduled to go vertical later tonight.
Tune in to NASA TV and watch online (http://www.nasa.gov/live) at 10 a.m. EDT as NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Nicole Mann discuss the upcoming SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station and answer questions from reporters.
The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron now predicts a 60% chance of favorable weather conditions for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 launch. The primary weather concerns for launch are flight through precipitation, anvil and cumulus clouds.
FORECAST DETAILS
Clouds Coverage Bases (feet) Tops (feet)
Cumulus Scattered 3,000 10,000
Cirrostratus Broken 25,000 28,000
Weather/Visibility: Rain showers/5 miles
Temperature: 82 degrees
NASA and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the launch activities beginning Wednesday, May 27 at 12:15 p.m. leading up to the lift off of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelling the SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on their way to the International Space Station.
NASA and SpaceX will provide joint, live coverage from launch through arrival at the space station at 11:39 a.m. on Thursday, May 28.
This will be SpaceX’s final test flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and will provide critical data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations.
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SpaceX crew launch comes with new weather constraints for downrange aborts
SPACEFLIGHT NOW 5/26/2020
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/26/spacex-crew-launch-comes-with-new-weather-constraints-for-downrange-aborts/ (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/26/spacex-crew-launch-comes-with-new-weather-constraints-for-downrange-aborts/)
Mission managers will be closely monitoring the weather for the first launch of astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, not just around the Kennedy Space Center, but along a corridor stretching thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in case the crew capsule has to escape from its Falcon 9 rocket during the climb into orbit.
The parameters to screen for acceptable weather downrange were added on top of the standard launch weather rules that track cloud, lightning and wind conditions at Cape Canaveral.
The official weather outlook for Wednesday’s launch opportunity — set for 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT) — calls for a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on-board.
But those odds only take into account the weather forecast at the launch site. SpaceX and NASA officials will consider weather conditions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean during Wednesday’s countdown before making the final decision to launch.
“We have a really complicated way of weighting different locations, depending on how much risk they have in terms of an escape,†said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability. “For the landing, there are also special parameters: winds, waves and wave direction.
More at link.
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:pop41:
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Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the South Carolina coast
https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/ (https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/)
Tropical Storm Bertha formed Wednesday morning off the coast of South Carolina, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Bertha’s maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) but it was expected to weaken to a tropical depression after moving inland. The storm was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph).
The TV weatherman this AM said that this depression may also affect Launch Areas.
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I'm not a praying man, but I'm giving those two a prayer.
Read a recent article here, (maybe yours), about where the engineers and designers have quantified the risk of a Dragon malfunction at a tiny fraction of the STS flights. Let's hope that's not false bravado.
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Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the South Carolina coast
https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/ (https://wgnradio.com/news/tropical-storm-bertha-forms-off-the-south-carolina-coast/)
Tropical Storm Bertha formed Wednesday morning off the coast of South Carolina, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Bertha’s maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) but it was expected to weaken to a tropical depression after moving inland. The storm was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph).
Bad thing about these small storms and depressions is that you can get 30+mph wind gusts over as much as a 300-400 mile radius as they make landfall.
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Anyone else taking comfort that we are (hopefully) going to be able to give the Russians the finger in relying on their good graces to supply the ISS?
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Anyone else taking comfort that we are (hopefully) going to be able to give the Russians the finger in relying on their good graces to supply the ISS?
:yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa: :yowsa:
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(https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/100585482_10158421801597140_3328689591015178240_o.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=7IWOpqIiiEgAX96K8wc&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=a8ee03de334ba297e8496135a393ddc0&oe=5EF5CC04)
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Dragon Dawn
https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/gr0p8e/dragon_dawn_credit_elon_musk/
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Dragon Dawn
https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/gr0p8e/dragon_dawn_credit_elon_musk/
Not a Musk fan due to his tax payer subsidized car company. OTOH, this SpaceX stuff is 3 levels above cool. Hey Elon.... Make this part of your business go public.... I'll buy.
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https://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/Weather/Falcon%209%20Dragon%20Crew%20Demo-2%20L-0%20Day%20Forecast%20-%2027%20May%20Launch.pdf?ver=2020-05-27-100120-897 (https://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/Weather/Falcon%209%20Dragon%20Crew%20Demo-2%20L-0%20Day%20Forecast%20-%2027%20May%20Launch.pdf?ver=2020-05-27-100120-897)
Launch Mission Execution Forecast
Mission: SpaceX Falcon 9 Dragon Crew Demo-2
Issued: 27May2020/ 1000L (1400Z)
Valid: 27 May2020/1633L (2033Z)
ForecastDiscussion:Residual moisture with the passing low pressure system andincreasedlow-level convergence will threatenthe Space Coast with showers and thunderstormsthis afternoon. Tropical Storm Bertha has just formed off the coast of South Carolina and is advecting inland over the next 6 hours. The primary concerns for launch are flight through precipitation, as well as the anvil and cumulus cloud rules associated with the afternoon convection.On Friday, the subtropical ridge builds into the region and begins to re-assert its influence. Although convection will still belikely, the ridge axis near the Space Coast will allow the east coast sea breeze to move further inland, keeping the storms farther from the Spaceport. A similar set up is expected this weekend, with the ridge axis being over or just north of the Spaceport. Convection will initiate inland, allowing for a potential clearing around the Spaceport. The primary weather threats for launch will be flight through precipitation, the anvil cloud rule, the cumulus cloud rule associated with afternoon convectionfor Saturday, and including thick cloud rule for Sunday.
27-May
Probability of Violating Weather Constraints 50%
Primary Concerns: FlightThrough Precipitation, Anvil Cloud Rule, Cumulus Cloud Rule
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Launch Day Arrives for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2
Anna Heiney Posted on May 27, 2020 Categories Commercial Spaceflight, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, NASA Astronauts, SpaceXTags Commercial Crew Program, Crew Dragon, Demo-2, Douglas Hurley, Falcon 9 rocket, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, NASA, Robert Behnken, SpaceX
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/27/launch-day-arrives-for-nasas-spacex-demo-2/ (https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/27/launch-day-arrives-for-nasas-spacex-demo-2/)
Countdown clocks are ticking toward the launch of a new era in human spaceflight. With today’s scheduled launch of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, American astronauts will once again launch on American spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley is targeted for 4:33 p.m. EDT from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A.
Don’t miss a minute of today’s events. Follow the countdown live starting at 12:15 p.m. EDT on NASA Television, on the web at http://www.nasa.gov/live (http://www.nasa.gov/live) and here on the blog.
Behnken and Hurley are spending the morning in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where they’ll sit down for a preflight meal five hours prior to launch. The crewmates will receive a weather briefing at approximately 12:15 p.m., then begin suiting up in the crew quarters’ Suit Room around 12:30 p.m.
Here’s an overview of the countdown milestones ahead:
-04:15:00 Crew weather brief
-04:05:00 Crew handoff
-04:00:00 Suit donning and checkouts
-03:22:00 Crew walk out from Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building
-03:15:00 Crew transportation to Launch Complex 39A
-02:55:00 Crew arrives at pad
-02:35:00 Crew ingress
-02:20:00 Communication check
-02:15:00 Verify ready for seat rotation
-02:14:00 Suit leak checks
-01:55:00 Hatch close
-00:45:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
-00:42:00 Crew access arm retracts
-00:37:00 Dragon launch escape system is armed
-00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
-00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
-00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins
-00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
-00:05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power
-00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
-00:01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
-00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
-00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
-00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
The Demo-2 mission will serve as an end-to-end flight test to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, from launch to docking to splashdown. It is the final flight test for the system to be certified for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
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Cumulus Cloud Rule?
Crap... that could cancel 90%-95% of summer flights south of the 35th latitude. Look out the window any given summer afternoon.
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Countdown clock @ 11:41 CDT 03:51:58
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What could keep Falcon 9 from sending Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to space are the possibilities of flight through precipitation, the anvil cloud rule and the cumulus cloud rule.
• Flight through precipitation: Do not launch within 5 nautical miles of disturbed weather clouds that extend into freezing temperatures and contain moderate or greater precipitation, unless specific time-associated distance criteria can be met.
• Anvil cloud rule: Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of an attached thunderstorm anvil cloud, unless temperature and time-associated distance criteria can be met.
• Cumulus cloud rule: Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of cumulus clouds with tops that extend into freezing temperatures, unless specific height-associated distance criteria can be met.
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https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/launch/countdown101_prt.htm (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/launch/countdown101_prt.htm)
Countdown 101
Follow along with the countdown! The NASA Launch Blog is the only place online to get latest-breaking launch information directly from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Live countdown coverage will begin about six hours prior to launch and will conclude about 10 minutes after liftoff, when orbit insertion is complete. Coverage includes frequent updates on the countdown status and videos of key events.
T-3 hours and holding
This built-in hold typically lasts two hours.
• Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration
• Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas
T-3 hours and counting
• Crew departs for the launch pad and, upon arriving at the pad, begins entry into the orbiter via the White Room
• Complete close-out preparations in the launch pad's White Room
• Check cockpit switch configurations
• Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control (Kennedy Space Center) and Mission Control (Johnson Space Center)
• Close the orbiter's crew hatch and check for leaks
• Complete White Room close-out
• Close-out crew retreats to fallback area
T-20 minutes and holding
This built-in hold typically lasts 10 minutes.
• Shuttle Test Director conducts final launch team briefings
• Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments
T-20 minutes and counting
• Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration
• Start fuel cell thermal conditioning
• Close orbiter cabin vent valves
• Transition backup flight system to launch configuration
T-9 minutes and holding
This is the final built-in hold, and varies in length depending on the mission.
• The Launch Director, Mission Management Team and Shuttle Test Director poll their teams for a go/no go for launch
Image to right: A fish-eye view captures Space Shuttle Endeavour just after liftoff on mission STS-111. Credit: NASA
T-9 minutes and counting
• Start automatic Ground Launch Sequencer
• Retract Orbiter Access Arm (T-7 minutes, 30 seconds)
• Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5 minutes, 0 seconds)
• Arm Solid Rocket Booster range safety safe and arm devices (T-5 minutes, 0 seconds)
• Start orbiter aerosurface profile test, followed by main engine gimbal profile test (T-3 minutes, 55 seconds)
• Retract Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm, or "beanie cap"
(T-2 minutes, 55 seconds)
• Crew members close and lock their visors
(T-2 minutes, 0 seconds)
• Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power
(T-50 seconds)
• Ground Launch Sequencer is go for auto sequence start (T-31 seconds)
• Activate launch pad sound suppression system
(T-16 seconds)
• Activate main engine hydrogen burnoff system
(T-10 seconds)
• Main engine start (T-6.6 seconds)
T-0
• Solid Rocket Booster ignition and liftoff!
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Am I the only one who is nervous??
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Am I the only one who is nervous??
No.
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Am I the only one who is nervous??
Same here. Multi-tasking as best I can. In the past few minutes Astronaunts have had a visit with Musk and NASA Admin.
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https://www.spacex.com/launches/ (https://www.spacex.com/launches/)
The instantaneous launch window opens at 4:33 p.m. EDT, or 20:33 UTC, with backup instantaneous launch opportunities available on Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC, and on Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, or 19:00 UTC. Tune in here to watch the launch webcast. Coverage will begin about 4 hours before liftoff.
Countdown
Min/Sec Event
- 45:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
- 42:00 Crew access arm retracts
- 37:00 Dragon’s launch escape system is armed
- 35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
- 35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
- 05:00 Dragon transitions to internal power
- 01:00 Command flight to begin final prelaunch checks
- 01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
- 00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
- 00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
- 00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff
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Saying goodbye to their families.. 8888crybaby
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lol...NASA TV called the photographing press paparazzi.
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Air Force One flying over to land.
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Crew Access Arm Retracted
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Massive shelf cloud looms above Falcon 9 rocket before launch
Published: 2:09 PM CDT May 27, 2020
https://www.localmemphis.com/video/weather/accuweather/massive-shelf-cloud-looms-above-falcon-9-rocket-before-launch/607-797a982b-4f8d-4dd1-bad4-639fd40575fc (https://www.localmemphis.com/video/weather/accuweather/massive-shelf-cloud-looms-above-falcon-9-rocket-before-launch/607-797a982b-4f8d-4dd1-bad4-639fd40575fc)
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Go to fuel.
Launch escape system armed.
T-31:00
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30 mins and counting
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(https://a57.foxnews.com/hp.foxnews.com/images/2020/05/1280/533/124a69d8e31babd70423d293779d8bbc.jpg?tl=1&ve=1)
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Weather report in less than 2 minutes.
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Standing by for final go/no-go decision
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No-Go Launch Abort Has Started
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That's a scrub.
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Damn you mother nature!
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damnit!
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This ^
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888cryingkitty 888cryingkitty
But at least it wasn’t a repeat of Apollo 1. I think that is everyone’s worst nightmare
RIP
Gus Grissom
Edward White II
Rodger Chaffee
:patriot:
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Plenty disappointing, but a lot better that human life loss.
Next launch window, Saturday--right?
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Plenty disappointing, but a lot better that human life loss.
Next launch window, Saturday--right?
Yes...3:22 Sat
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Yes...3:22 Sat
I am not a meteorologist, but if Cumulus cloud height formation is a mission scrub parameter, why are the scheduling these things during maximum heating and when the clouds are their loftiest.
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Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
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47m
Thank you to @NASA
and @SpaceX
for their hard work and leadership. Look forward to being back with you on Saturday!
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I am not a meteorologist, but if Cumulus cloud height formation is a mission scrub parameter, why are the scheduling these things during maximum heating and when the clouds are their loftiest.
Launch days and times are chosen to conform to the mission planned trajectory path. For example, for payload deployments, or for docking with the ISS.
SpaceX prepares to launch Demo-2, schedule and timeline released
https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/human-spaceflight/spacex-prepares-to-launch-demo-2-schedule-and-timeline-released/ (https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/human-spaceflight/spacex-prepares-to-launch-demo-2-schedule-and-timeline-released/)
From the naked eye, the liftoff will look fairly similar to the 20 missions which Dragon’s first iteration flew to the international outpost. Much like Space Shuttle launches to the International Space Station, the launch trajectory will carry the launch vehicle on a flight path northeast of the Kennedy Space Center. The vehicle will experience Max-Q, the period of maximum aerodynamic stress on the rocket, at approximately 58 seconds after liftoff.
The Falcon 9 first stage will propel Dragon for about two and a half minutes before its nine engines will shut off, and the second stage carrying Crew Dragon will separate from the first stage and begin its push of the spacecraft into low earth orbit. From there, the first stage will begin its boost back burn to align itself on a trajectory to return to earth. True to form of most recent SpaceX missions to the International Space Station, the company will attempt to land the first stage on the autonomous drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You†approximately 9 minutes and 22 seconds after liftoff.
Once Crew Dragon separates from the second stage at approximately 8 minutes and 52 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft’s onboard computers and crew will get to work, performing several key functions to test Dragon’s capability of on orbit maneuvering. As spacecraft Commander, Astronaut Doug Hurley will act as the crew member monitoring these functions. While NASA did not give a specific time the spacecraft will reach the ISS, it could take up to two days for Dragon to reach its intended target, depending on the amount of tests NASA and SpaceX want to perform on the vehicle before initiating docking procedures. The first half of Dragon’s journey on orbit can be broken down into five key tasks that must be completed on the way to the ISS: orbit activation, phasing burns, approach initiation, proximity operations, and docking and pressurization initiated at the rendezvous point with the ISS. These key functions can and will be performed autonomously by the Crew Dragon vehicle, but can be initiated and controlled by the crew at any phase of the flight should an anomaly occur within any of the vehicle’s onboard systems. Once Dragon arrives at the Station, it will pressurize itself to match the pressure of the orbiting laboratory. From there, the crew will be able to open the hatch and initiate arrival procedures.
The exact duration for Crew Dragon’s ISS stay is still yet to be determined, however, as discussed in a May 1 press conference by NASA’s deputy Manager of commercial crew Steve Stitch, it is expected that Crew Dragon will stay docked to Station anywhere from 30-119 days. Any time beyond the 119 days could possibly result in a degradation of Dragon’s solar panels.
More at link.
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Trump to return to Florida for rescheduled SpaceX launch
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/499842-trump-to-return-to-florida-for-rescheduled-spacex-launch