Comments on: NASA gives an American the seat on Dragon flight that it had been holding for Russian https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/ Wed, 19 May 2021 15:22:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Patrick Underwood https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131359 Wed, 19 May 2021 15:22:42 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131359 Jeff Wright, as a quick perusal of their history makes clear, the Russians have come to *exactly* the wrong decision, over and over and over, since time immemorial. They are stuck in a slow-motion never-ending cultural train wreck. Suspicious of everyone and everything, always ready to huddle behind and lionize the biggest baddest warlord they can find. There are historical reasons for that, of course. But they refuse to see past them to where their better interests might lie.

All people on Earth makes mistakes. There are many things to love and admire about Russians. I myself am a fan of Russian aviation and spaceflight. (It was a Russian who pretty much invented spaceflight.) But collectively (so to speak) they are the Masters of the Self-Own.

]]> By: Jeff Wright https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131321 Wed, 19 May 2021 03:43:47 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131321 That makes no sense. You would think they would be chomping at the bit to get into the cockpit of something that flies higher and faster than F-35 which their spies want to see. Dragon outperforms the mythical FIREFOX in speed and altitude at least.

]]> By: Patrick Underwood https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131284 Tue, 18 May 2021 21:40:27 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131284 The Russians are *extremely unhappy* with Crew Dragon, for obvious reasons. Ah well. They can pout, but they can’t really do anything except goad the US to even faster progress toward a commercial station.

Good luck to them, working with the Chinese. I’m sure that relationship is going to go swimmingly.

]]> By: mkent https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131258 Tue, 18 May 2021 18:28:24 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131258 Can’t the Dragon be configured to carry 7 people?

No. To reduce bad g-loading on the crew, NASA had SpaceX re-orient the seats in the cabin, and now only four seats will fit.

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131250 Tue, 18 May 2021 17:26:20 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131250 In reply to Calvin Dodge.

Calvin Dodge: If NASA is really interested in going to Mars, they should take this as an opportunity to fly him as long as possible, rather than improvising an early return. Assuming of course that Vande Hei is agreeable.

]]> By: Calvin Dodge https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasa-gives-an-american-the-seat-on-dragon-flight-that-it-had-been-holding-for-russian/#comment-1131249 Tue, 18 May 2021 17:23:53 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=75808#comment-1131249 Can’t the Dragon be configured to carry 7 people? If so, why not add 1 seat to bring him home at the originally-scheduled time?

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