“After an apparently flawless approach by the cargo-laden space capsule” (MSNBC) early this morning, Dragon is at Station, and Suni is now preparing to open the hatch to get their ice cream treats =)
More photos below.
10 responses to “Dragon at Station”
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A star is born
There was a valuable system design test on this mission. At minute 1:19 of the ascent, engine one was shut down. SpaceX described what followed:
"As designed, the flight computer then recomputed a new ascent profile in real time to ensure Dragon’s entry into orbit for subsequent rendezvous and berthing with the ISS. This was achieved, and there was no effect on Dragon or the cargo resupply mission.
Falcon 9 did exactly what it was designed to do. Like the Saturn V (which experienced engine loss on two flights) and modern airliners, Falcon 9 is designed to handle an engine out situation and still complete its mission. No other rocket currently flying has this ability.
It is worth noting that Falcon 9 shuts down two of its engines to limit acceleration to 5 g’s even on a fully nominal flight. The rocket could therefore have lost another engine and still completed its mission."
Canadarm reaching out from the ISS to catch that Dragon by the tail
"Looks like we’ve tamed the Dragon," station commander Sunita Williams said. "We’re happy she’s onboard with us. Thanks to everyone at SpaceX and NASA for bringing her to us, and the ice cream."
Suni, just moments ago, at the hatch
And gliding over Earth
Earlier post of launch photos and pad prep
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"Dragon departed the station early this morning with 1,673 pounds of return cargo including hardware, supplies, and a GLACIER freezer packed with scientific samples. Dragon is the only craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies to Earth, and this mission marks the first time since the space shuttle that NASA has been able to return research samples for analysis."
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