SpaceX COTS2 Photos and Videos

Go, go, go!

So far so good. The Dragon spacecraft separated and the solar arrays deployed.

Liftoff Video, complete launch video, and my favorite: the sound of the employees cheering as we watch the solar arrays deploying, the first major new and essential technical milestone of this mission. They have to have power to finish the testing and berth with the ISS.

Congrats to Elon Musk, Gwynne Shotwell and the entire SpaceX team!!!

Startups get pretty excited at a new product launch. With rockets, many of the metaphors are quite real, and visible, and loud. Here you can see the employee reception of Elon Musk at Mission Control… and 1,800 of them cheering at 1 am. So amazing.

Mission Highlights from SpaceX:
During the mission, Dragon must perform a series of complex tasks, each presenting significant technical challenges (dates subject to change):
· May 22/Launch Day: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches a Dragon spacecraft into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
· May 23: Dragon orbits Earth as it travels toward the International Space Station.
· May 24: Dragon’s sensors and flight systems are subjected to a series of complicated tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the space station; these tests include maneuvers and systems checks in which the vehicle comes within 1.5 miles of the station.
· May 25: NASA decides if Dragon is allowed to attempt berthing with the station. If so, Dragon approaches. It is captured by station’s robotic arm and attached to the station, a feat that requires extreme precision.
· May 25 – 31: Astronauts open Dragon’s hatch, unload supplies and fill Dragon with return cargo.
· May 31: After approximately two weeks, Dragon is detached from the station and returns to Earth, landing in the Pacific, hundreds of miles west of Southern California.

20 responses to “SpaceX COTS2 Photos and Videos”

PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

May 22, 2012 at 3:12 pm

That was wowww. History in the making !!!! So far so good… Hope you are having fun too =)

Loved the : "Confirmed: SpaceX Dragon Ferried ‘Scotty’s’ Remains Into Space"

elonmusk : Dragon spaceship opens the navigation pod bay door without hesitation. So much nicer than HAL9000 🙂 #DragonLaunch

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jurvetson

May 22, 2012 at 3:36 pm

and from my friends at launch pad 40 at KSC: before launch

and after, as dawn breaks this morning:

The ISS crew watching the SpaceX launch:

Frame grab from that solar cell video

Here’s the live orbital chart

and twitter feed, and the music video animation of the mission.

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gsikich1

May 22, 2012 at 3:39 pm

Great shot.

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Ramones Karaoke

May 22, 2012 at 6:00 pm

And as I watched this live over breakfast in the UK, I also cheered just as the array deployed, and was surprised to hear cheering coming out of my Mac. This is a very, very important moment. Well done team SpaceX, a genuinely momentous occasion.

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Fabio Rage

May 22, 2012 at 6:40 pm

I wish the best to SpaceX!

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jurvetson

May 22, 2012 at 6:59 pm

and from the 5th floor at NASA KSC…. the star of the evening

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ChrisRudge

May 22, 2012 at 7:05 pm

Thanks for the share, as I was away from technology for the weekend to watch.

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solerena

May 22, 2012 at 7:16 pm

Wow!!! What a beauty!

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scleroplex

May 22, 2012 at 8:07 pm

most excellent!!

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rwdiehl

May 23, 2012 at 5:10 am

Fantastic!

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jurvetson

May 23, 2012 at 7:41 pm

Update: Dragon is thrusting to catch up the ISS for a flyby approach just after midnight tonight.

Nice AP photo symbolism from the LA Times:

…and my favorite quote of the year, from The Atlantic:

"think about this. The four most interesting projects in the last five years are Tesla, SpaceX, Google Driving, and Google Goggles. That is one individual, Elon Musk, and one company, Google, doing all four things that are truly Silicon Valley-class disruptive."

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seatonsnet

May 24, 2012 at 5:54 am

I hate to bring up Freud :^)

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jgury

May 24, 2012 at 1:25 pm

"think about this. The four most interesting projects in the last five years are Tesla, SpaceX, Google Driving, and Google Goggles. That is one individual, Elon Musk, and one company, Google, doing all four things that are truly Silicon Valley-class disruptive."

Yes, Google Goggles are certainly on my five year four most interesting list.

" The headline for me here is that Facebook’s success has the unintended consequence of leading to the demise of Silicon Valley as a place where investors take big risks on advanced science and tech that helps the world. The golden age of Silicon valley is over and we’re dancing on its grave. On the other hand, Facebook is a great company. "

Yes, but I don”t want to own FB stock for some reason. The headline for me here is that Apples’s success has the unintended consequence of leading to the demise of Silicon Valley as a place where investors take big risks on advanced science and tech that helps the world. Except that everyone wants to own Apple Ipads, stock, and options on Apple ventures everywhere in the world.

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solerena

May 24, 2012 at 1:44 pm

Agree regarding Apple…

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jurvetson

May 24, 2012 at 6:05 pm

And here’s the view from the ISS of the Dragon Capsule’s fly by:

and video.

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solerena

May 25, 2012 at 6:17 pm

I am so happy to be on the same planet with Elon and yourself:):)

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jgury

May 25, 2012 at 11:49 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/solerena] Hey, and I know they would happily give it all up to be here living on this planet with you, given the alternatives.

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solerena

May 26, 2012 at 3:39 pm

:):)

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perpetual degree

Apr 9, 2016 at 3:21 am

G R E A T B L A S T O F F P H O T O > > >

Reply

SpaceX COTS2 Photos and Videos

20 responses to “SpaceX COTS2 Photos and Videos”

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