Jump to content

Crew DragonEndeavour

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Endeavour
Endeavourat Cape Canaveral in April 2020.
TypeSpace capsule
ClassDragon 2
EponymSpace ShuttleEndeavour
Serialno.C206
OwnerSpaceX
ManufacturerSpaceX
Specifications
Dimensions4.4 m × 3.7 m (14 ft × 12 ft)
PowerSolar panel
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5
History
LocationInternational Space Station
First flight
Last flight
Flights5
Flight timeCurrently in orbit
Dragon 2s

Crew DragonEndeavour(Dragon capsule C206) is aCrew Dragonspace capsulemanufactured and operated bySpaceXand used byNASA'sCommercial Crew Program.As of 2024it has successfully completed four crewed missions to theInternational Space Station(ISS), and is currently conducting a fifth. It was first launched into orbit atop aFalcon 9rocketon 30 May 2020 and successfully docked to theInternational Space Station(ISS) as part of theCrew Dragon Demo-2mission. This was the first crewed flight test of a Dragon capsule, carryingDoug HurleyandBob Behnkenon first crewed orbital spaceflight from the United States sinceSTS-135in July 2011 and the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company. On 2 August 2020 it returned to Earth.[1]The spacecraft was named by Hurley and Behnken after theSpace ShuttleEndeavour,aboard which they first flew into space during theSTS-127andSTS-123missions, respectively. The nameEndeavouris also shared by thecommand moduleofApollo 15.The spacecraft's second mission,Crew-2,ended 8 November 2021 after having spent almost 200 days in orbit. Crew DragonEndeavourset the record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crew vehicle previously set by her sibling Crew DragonResilienceon 2 May 2021.[2]Collectively,Endeavourhas spent over 450 days in orbit, the most time in orbit by a crewed spacecraft, surpassingSpace Shuttle Discovery.[3]

History

[edit]

After the success ofCrew Dragon Demo-1usingCrew Dragon C204,that spacecraft was originally planned to be used for theCrew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test.However, on 20 April 2019, Crew Dragon C204 was destroyed in an explosion during static fire testing at theLanding Zone 1facility.[4][5]On the day of the anomaly, the initial testing of the Crew Dragon'sDraco thrusterswas successful, with the explosion occurring during the test of theSuperDracoabort system.[6]Crew Dragon C205,then slated to be used for the Demo-2 mission, was subsequently used for the in-flight abort test.Endeavour,then, was assigned to the Demo-2 mission, replacing Crew Dragon C205. On 17 April 2020,NASA AdministratorJim Bridenstineannounced the launch date of the crewedCrew Dragon missionto the International Space Station to be on 27 May 2020.[7]According to SpaceX,Endeavourunderwent electromagnetic interference testing and completed acoustic testing in February 2020.[8][9]In early April 2020, the spacecraft was in SpaceX's processing facility atCape Canaveral Space Force Station,Floridato undergo final processing and testing in preparation for the Demo-2 launch.[10]It was then transported toKennedy Space Center,arriving at theLaunch Complex 39Aon 15 May 2020. The spacecraft was then mated to aFalcon 9rocket and was rolled out onto the launch pad on 21 May 2020, with static fire testing completed the next day.[11]

SpaceX's first reused Crew Dragon Endeavour, docks at International Space Station

Crew DragonEndeavour,with its name still unannounced, was successfully launched on top of the rocket on 30 May 2020 after the scrubbing of the first attempt due to poor weather conditions.[12][13]AstronautsBob BehnkenandDoug Hurleycrewed the Demo-2 mission, marking the first crewed launch to theInternational Space Stationfrom the United States sinceSTS-135in July 2011. The mission was intended to complete the validation of crewed spaceflight operations using SpaceX hardware.[14]If successful, the demonstration flight would allow forhuman-rating certificationof the Crew Dragon spacecraft, theFalcon 9rocket, the crew transportation system, the launch pad, and SpaceX's capabilities. In a video tour of the spacecraft shortly after the launch, Behnken and Hurley revealed they named the capsuleEndeavourafter theSpace ShuttleEndeavour,the spacecraft the both of them first flew on, on missionsSTS-123andSTS-127,respectively, to recognize the "incredible endeavor" that SpaceX and NASA have taken. Additionally, each crew member brought along a toy from their family, in this case anApatosaurusdinosaur named "Tremor", a sequined plush dinosaur toy, and aTyflippables plush toy, continuing the tradition for astronauts to bring a plush toy or trinket aboard their spacecraft to serve as a zero-gravity indicator when weightlessness kicks in during spaceflight.[15]Days after the successful launch, NASA gave SpaceX approval to reuse flight-proven spacecraft, indicatingEndeavourmay be potentially reused.[16]

Spending 19 hours in orbit approaching the ISS, Hurley demonstrated the ability to pilot the spacecraft via its touchscreen controls; upon reaching a distance of 220 metres (720 ft) from the ISS docking ports, he let the automated docking program take over.Endeavourdocked with the ISS on 31 May 2020.[17][18][19]Hurley and Behnken joined the ISSExpedition 63crew, which consisted of NASA astronautChris Cassidyand Russian cosmonautsIvan VagnerandAnatoli Ivanishin.[20]Behnken and Hurley launched to the ISS for an indeterminate time frame, which depended onEndeavour's solar array degradation, the status ofCrew Dragon Resilience,and landing zone weather.[21]

Crew DragonEndeavourlanding in theGulf of Mexicoon 2 August 2020.

NASA originally planned Demo-2 as a short test flight lasting about two weeks, but later chose to extend the mission to address the shortfall of crew in the ISS.[22]According toKen Bowersox,acting administrator for NASA's human spaceflight program, the spacecraft was "doing very well" and NASA re-planned to bring the crew andEndeavourhome in early August.[21]WhenEndeavourreturned, it journeyed through a fast fiery descent of Earth's atmosphere and was slowed down by the capsule's drogue chute and suite of parachutes. It splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, near Pensacola, FL, where a SpaceX recovery boat brought the crew and spacecraft back to shore.[17]

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley left a Demo-2 patch on the inside of Endeavour after their mission.[23]Shane Kimbrough announced that the Crew-2 astronauts will keep the "Endeavour" name for the spacecraft revealed by Hurley and Behnken shortly after their launch last May.[24]

Flights

[edit]

Endeavourwas flown in space on theCrew Dragon Demo-2mission on 30 May 2020, and returned to Earth on 2 August. The spacecraft was rated to spend 119 days in orbit, as its solar panels had less capability than a full production Crew Dragon capable of staying in space for up to 210 days.[25]The seat ofBob BehnkeninEndeavourduring Demo-2 was used by his wife,K. Megan McArthurin theSpaceX Crew-2mission.[26]

Flight No Mission Patch Launch date (UTC) Landing date (UTC) Crew Duration Remarks Outcome
1 Demo-2 30 May 2020, 19:22:45 2 August 2020, 18:48:06[27]
63 days The first crewed test flight of a Crew Dragon capsule, first crewed orbital spaceflight from US soil sinceSTS-135in July 2011 (in which Doug Hurley was the pilot), and the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company. Flight extended from two weeks in order to allow the crew to bolster activity on the ISS ahead ofCrew-1[1]and ended up being over two months. Success
2 Crew-2 23 April 2021, 09:49:02[28] 9 November 2021, 03:33:16
199 days Less than a week after the maiden flight ofEndeavour,NASA gave approval for SpaceX to launch humans in reused Dragons on reused Falcon 9 rockets starting with Crew-2.[29][30] Success
3 Axiom Mission 1 (patch) 8 April 2022, 15:17:11[31] 25 April 2022, 17:06[32]
17 days First Crew Dragon flight contracted byAxiom Space.First fully private flight to the ISS, carryingMichael López-Alegríaas Axiom professional astronaut,[33]Eytan Stibbeto conduct educational experiments for a 10-day trip,[34][35]Larry ConnorandMark Pathy,both heading investment companies.[33]Bad weather at the landing sites caused delays in the departure from the ISS.[36] Success
4 Crew-6 2 March 2023, 05:34:14 4 September 2023, 04:17
185 days Long duration mission. Ferried four members of theExpedition 68/69crew to the ISS. Success
5 Crew-8 4 March 2024, 3:53:00 August 2024 (planned)
137 days (in progress) Long duration mission. Ferries four members of theExpedition 70/71crew to the ISS. Docked atISS


References

[edit]
  1. ^abClark, Stephen (9 June 2020)."NASA anticipates August return for Hurley and Behnken".Spaceflight Now.Retrieved10 June2020.
  2. ^Gorman, Steve (9 November 2021)."NASA-SpaceX crew returns from record mission aboard International Space Station".Reuters.Retrieved9 November2021.
  3. ^@SpaceX (9 November 2021)."Since this Dragon also completed the 63-day Demo-2 mission last year, it has now clocked over 260 days in space"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on 14 March 2022.Retrieved9 November2021– viaTwitter.
  4. ^@JimBridenstine (20 April 2019)."NASA has been notified about the results of the @SpaceX Static Fire Test and the anomaly that occurred during the final test. We will work closely to ensure we safely move forward with our Commercial Crew Program"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  5. ^Mosher, Dave."SpaceX confirmed that its Crew Dragon spaceship for NASA was 'destroyed' by a recent test. Here's what we learned about the explosive failure".Business Insider.Retrieved6 May2019.
  6. ^Shanklin, Emily (15 July 2019)."UPDATE: IN-FLIGHT ABORT STATIC FIRE TEST ANOMALY INVESTIGATION".SpaceX.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2019.Retrieved18 July2019.
  7. ^@JimBridenstine (17 April 2020)."BREAKING: On May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil! With our @SpaceX partners, @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will launch to the @Space_Station on the #CrewDragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Let's #LaunchAmerica 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/RINb3mfRWI"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  8. ^@SpaceX (11 February 2020)."The Crew Dragon spacecraft that will fly @NASA astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug to and from the @Space_Station undergoing electromagnetic interference testin"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  9. ^@SpaceX (16 February 2020)."Crew Dragon completes acoustic testing in Florida"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  10. ^https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20200411-PH-SPX01_0003Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  11. ^Wall, Mike (21 May 2020)."SpaceX's 1st Dragon capsule for astronauts arrives at launch site for historic mission".Space.com.space.com.Retrieved11 June2020.
  12. ^Thompson, Amy (30 May 2020)."Liftoff! SpaceX launches 1st astronauts for NASA on historic test flight".Space.com.Retrieved12 June2020.
  13. ^Roulette, Joey (30 May 2020)."NASA resumes human spaceflight from U.S. soil with historic SpaceX launch".Reuters.Retrieved12 June2020.
  14. ^Etherington, Darrell (1 May 2020)."SpaceX and NASA break down what their historic first astronaut mission will look like".TechCrunch.Retrieved3 May2020.
  15. ^Boyle, Alan (30 May 2020)."Crew Dragon's astronauts give their SpaceX spaceship a storied name: Endeavour".GeekWire.Retrieved12 June2020.
  16. ^Ralph, Eric (9 June 2020)."SpaceX wins NASA approval to launch astronauts on reused rockets and spacecraft".Teslarati.Retrieved10 June2020.
  17. ^abGrush, Loren (30 May 2020)."SpaceX successfully launches first crew to orbit, ushering in new era of spaceflight".The Verge.Retrieved12 June2020.
  18. ^"NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station after Dragon capsule successfully docks".The Washington Post.Nash Holdings LLC. 31 May 2020.Retrieved31 May2020.
  19. ^Wattles, Jackie (31 May 2020)."Second hatch opens as Crew Dragon astronauts arrive at International Space Station".CNN.Warner Media, LLC.Retrieved31 May2020.
  20. ^"SpaceX and Nasa set to launch astronauts after weather all-clear".Express & Star.30 May 2020.
  21. ^abThompson, Amy (10 June 2020)."SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship to bring NASA astronauts home this summer".Teslarati.Retrieved12 June2020.
  22. ^Foust, Jeff (9 June 2020)."Crew Dragon likely to support extended space station stay".SpaceNews.Retrieved11 June2020.
  23. ^Welcome Home: NASA Astronauts Robert Behnken & Douglas Hurley Discuss Their Return To Earth
  24. ^Clark, Stephen (5 March 2021)."Next Crew Dragon launch set for April 22".Spaceflight Now.Retrieved5 March2021.
  25. ^Weitering, Hanneke (5 May 2020)."How long will the 1st astronauts to ride SpaceX's Crew Dragon be in space? No one knows exactly (yet)".Space.com.Space.com.Retrieved12 June2020.
  26. ^"Megan to reuse Bob's demo-2 seat in crew-2 mission".aljazeera.com.20 April 2020.
  27. ^"Astronauts gear up for spacewalks amid planning for August Crew Dragon return".Spaceflight Now. 24 June 2020.Retrieved25 June2020.
  28. ^"Off the Earth, for the Earth; Endeavour lifts off with international crew for six month mission".NASASpaceFlight.22 April 2021.Retrieved23 April2021.
  29. ^"beta.SAM.gov".beta.sam.gov.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2020.Retrieved24 July2020.
  30. ^Foust, Jeff."NASA plans for reusing the Demo-2 capsule for Crew-2".Twitter.Retrieved24 July2020.
  31. ^"Axiom-1 launches first ever private crewed mission to ISS".8 April 2022.Retrieved8 April2022.
  32. ^Mike Wall (25 April 2022)."Private Ax-1 astronauts return to Earth, ending historic space mission".Space.com.Retrieved25 April2022.
  33. ^ab"Axiom Space names first private crew to launch to space station".collectSPACE.26 January 2021.Retrieved26 January2021.
  34. ^Chang, Kenneth (5 March 2020)."There Are 2 Seats Left for This Trip to the International Space Station".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2020.Retrieved11 March2020.
  35. ^O'Kane, Sean (5 March 2020)."SpaceX will send three tourists to the International Space Station next year".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2020.Retrieved11 March2020.
  36. ^Mike Wall (25 April 2022)."Private Ax-1 astronauts return to Earth, ending historic space mission".Space.com.Retrieved25 April2022.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crew_Dragon_Endeavour&oldid=1228605929"