First manned Dragon flight scheduled for May 27th
Capitalism in space: NASA today officially announced May 27, 2020 as the scheduled launch date for the first manned Dragon flight to ISS, the first time American astronauts will fly from American soil on an American rocket in an American spacecraft since the shuttle was retired almost a decade ago.
The launch is set for 4:32 pm (Eastern), and I am sure will be live streams by both NASA and SpaceX.
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Capitalism in space: NASA today officially announced May 27, 2020 as the scheduled launch date for the first manned Dragon flight to ISS, the first time American astronauts will fly from American soil on an American rocket in an American spacecraft since the shuttle was retired almost a decade ago.
The launch is set for 4:32 pm (Eastern), and I am sure will be live streams by both NASA and SpaceX.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Cool! So 27 May is a Wednesday, just under six weeks from now.
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dm2/
Although the Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, the specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement.
I understand that they want this one back about one month prior to the launch of SpX/PCM-1 (Post Certification Mission 1) so they can study the capsule and its reentry, landing, and recovery performance before committing to the following launch.
BOOO-Yah! That is excellent news, and a welcome beacon of hope in this muck we’ve been wading through.
* https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/17/nasa-spacex-set-may-27-as-target-date-for-first-crew-launch/
In an interview with Spaceflight Now last week, Bridenstine cited several focus areas as SpaceX and NASA march toward launch of the Demo-2 test flight. They included completing two final parachute tests, data reviews, and ensuring the astronauts and ground teams remain healthy during the global coronavirus pandemic.
One of the two remaining parachute tests was successfully completed last weekend after dropping a test rig from a C-130 cargo plane. SpaceX changed the testing plan after a helicopter drop test in March was cut short when the test rig became unstable, forcing the pilot to prematurely release the device that simulates the mass of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. … One more parachute drop test from the C-130 cargo plane is scheduled for early May. That will be the final planned parachute test before the Demo-2 launch.
Fingers crossed. Let hope the schedule holds.
Hope the astronauts won’t have to keep six feet apart throughout the mission. Vote wisely this November [if the Red Coats haven’t taken over by then].