A Closer Look At SpaceX’s Innovative Dragon Capsule
SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule has recently made history with multiple crewed human flights. This included one of the first launches with an American rocket in almost a decade along with the first all civilian crew to orbit the planet. However, the Dragon Capsule manages to not only accomplish these incredible tasks but do it in style.
Many different features including the control interface, sleek design, SuperDraco thrusters, automated control, and more, help distinguish the Dragon Capsule as a unique and futuristic spacecraft. Each feature makes the Dragon Capsule stand out and establish it as the future of human space travel.
When SpaceX works on a new project they not only aim to make it work but also look good. Whether you are looking at SpaceX’s rockets, spacesuit, or the Dragon Capsule, you can see the effort in each and every detail. The Dragon Capsule is a perfect example of the combination of style, hardware, reliability, and more.
What Is The Dragon Capsule?
The Dragon Capsule is SpaceX’s crew-rated space capsule used on top of the Falcon 9 rocket. The Dragon Capsule development started in late 2004 early in SpaceX’s life. Since then the capsule has gone through many different tests, changes, and upgrades. The capsule can actually fit seven astronauts but for the missions with NASA, SpaceX has only taken either two or four people. Inside the Dragon Capsule, you will have 4 seats, a bathroom, a large touch screen interface, and more. Each aspect of the dragon has been changed depending on what the mission requires. This includes the seats or even the top of the capsule swapping from a docking adapter for the International Space Station to a large cupola for viewing Earth. The capsule has been responsible for multiple crewed flights up to this point and is planning a lot more in the future.
Innovative Design
So many different aspects of the Dragon Capsule make it stand out. Whether you are looking at the interface, overall design, thrusters, automation, or the reusability aspect, there is something special all around. These factors have helped make it stand out to large agencies like NASA and people such as ourselves.
Interface – One of the first main parts of Dragon that stands out is the large touch screen interface. The Dragon Capsule control system consists of a few buttons and three large screens right next to each other. These screens are responsible for almost everything and allow the astronauts to not only take control but also keep track of all the necessary information. SpaceX’s spacesuits are specially made to ensure the hands and fingers can operate on the screens. This is one of the big differences between the Dragon capsule and other human-rated spacecraft such as the Shuttle. The Space Shuttle hosted an insane amount of buttons, switches, etc. totaling over 1000 toggles to control all of its systems. SpaceX has removed the buttons and created a modern and innovative solution to help make the process easier and more convenient.
Looks – When looking at all of SpaceX’s projects it is clear that the look of things is very important to them. This pattern can be seen whether you are looking at their rockets, spacesuits, launch towers, and more. The Dragon Capsule was no exception to this. The outside and interior all look like futuristic spacecraft. The design also fits perfectly on top of the Falcon 9. Looking at the exterior and interior everything is modeled and colored to fit accordingly. An example of this could be the recent Inspiration 4 mission and the cupola. SpaceX swapped out the ISS docking adapter with a large window to allow the crew to look around in orbit. While the look often doesn’t affect performance it helps make the Dragon Capsule stand out as something special.
SuperDraco Thrusters – One of the most important parts of a human-rated space capsule is safety. This is the number one factor considered before all others. SpaceX has gone through many different processes to ensure the safety of the crew onboard. This includes not only tests but also an abort feature. The abort system disconnects the capsule from the rocket and ignites engines flying it far away. This is in case something were to go wrong and the rocket was likely to blow up. The Dragon Capsule’s engines for a possible abort are very unique and innovative SuperDraco thrusters. There are eight of these thrusters along the side of the Dragon Capsule that are more than capable of pulling the crew away from any threat.
Automation – Another innovative part of the Dragon Capsule is automation. The Dragon Capsule is capable of being 100% automated in different processes including docking to the ISS, orbiting the Earth, and more. This helps add confidence to the mission and can also open up unique opportunities. An example could be civilian flights. While all the people on board would still get a lot of training prior, the process could be automated and allow everyday people to go into space. It’s important to point out that anybody on board can easily use the large touch screen display and operate the Dragon Capsule manually. However, the automated process is very helpful and has played an important role in many of the capsules missions.
Reusability – A final aspect of the Dragon Capsule is its partial reusability. The capsule is capable of entering the atmosphere, landing back on Earth, and being reused again in the near future. While the capsule is not meant for instant reusability it is still an important process. The capsule goes through a lot of different stresses when going to space and coming back. The capability to reuse the capsule comes in handy for saving money and time. The process can also help improve confidence when it has done the task successfully already. Recently a Dragon Capsule was reused after going to the ISS and back for the Demo-2 mission.
Dragon Capsule Achievements
The Dragon Capsule hosts a large list of achievements and world firsts. One of its most historic flights was on the Demo-2 mission. On this mission, SpaceX sent two NASA astronauts up to the International Space Station and back successfully. This mission was a big deal for a lot of reasons. One was the first time a private company and rocket had sent astronauts to the ISS. Another was the first time in almost a decade that NASA astronauts went to the ISS on an American rocket off American soil.
After the Space Shuttle had been retired NASA relied on Russia to get its astronauts to space and back. The Falcon 9 and Dragon Capsule gave NASA an affordable and local option to get to the ISS. Another big achievement for the Dragon Capsule was the first all civilian launch and orbit. The Inspiration 4 Mission launched four American civilians into space where they orbited the earth for three days. The crew and capsule then came back down to Earth and landed successfully. This marked a big moment in the space industry and the future of commercial and civilian space travel.
Conclusion
SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule is a fascinating piece of technology that is very unique and innovative. Aspects such as its interface, overall look, SuperDraco Thrusters, Automation, reusability, and more, all make it something special. These are also the reasons why the Dragon Capsule has been so successful up to this point. With multiple world firsts and a long list of achievements, the Dragon Capsule has already made a big name for itself. Despite all of the capsule’s achievements it still has a lot more planned. In the near future, we are likely to see the Dragon Capsule continue to take astronauts to the ISS and even civilians around the world.