SpaceX\u2019s Commercial Crew contender, the Dragon V2, will initially return to terra firma under parachutes, assisted by a SuperDraco soft touchdown firing, according to Dragon V2 Program Lead Dr. Garrett Reisman. Eventually, the impressive spacecraft will employ pinpoint propulsive landings, once the technology has been matured via the DragonFly test program.<\/p>\n
Dragon V2:<\/p>\n
SpaceX\u2019s crew version of the Dragon spacecraft is one of three main contenders aiming to win back domestic crew transportation independence for the United States.<\/p>\n
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SNC\u2019s Dream Chaser, Boeing\u2019s CST-100 and SpaceX\u2019s Dragon are all vying for continued NASA funding via NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program, as the agency prepares to announce the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract awards.<\/p>\n
With an announcement now expected in September, a likely scenario would see two spacecraft winning through to the CCtCAP stage. <\/p>\n
The contact award process is secretive, due to competition rules. However, SpaceX\u2019s Dragon V2 \u2013 and SNC\u2019s Dream Chaser spaceplane \u2013 appear to have the groundswell of support within the space flight community.<\/p>\n
One key advantage for Dragon is her continuing role as a cargo vehicle under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, having already racked up numerous successful trips to the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n
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With mission experience \u2013 ranging from manufacture and processing, to launch and mission operations \u2013 already proven, the transition to the Dragon V2 will mainly focus on the spacecraft\u2019s increased capabilities.<\/p>\n
The V2 is a major leap forward from her cargo lofting cousin. While her appearance is stunning \u2013 with a sporty Outer Mold Line (OML) and a Trunk with fins, along with an interior that makes some sci fi spacecraft seem dated \u2013 it\u2019s her capabilities that provide most of her charms.<\/p>\n
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One such capability will be the employment of propulsive landings, something no other spacecraft is capable of doing.<\/p>\n
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As revealed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at the end of May, the Spacecraft will return under the protection of a third generation PICA-X heat shield, prior to turning on her set of SuperDraco thrusters, slowing her down for a guided touchdown at a designated landing site.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is how a 21st Century spaceship should land,\u201d Mr. Musk noted.<\/p>\n
It was also confirmed that the system will have a traditional form of redundancy, via the use of the parachute system that will still ride with the Dragon V2.<\/p>\n
\u201cDragon V2 still retains the parachutes of Dragon V1,\u201d Mr. Musk explained at the event. \u201cWhen Dragon reaches a particular altitude, a few miles before landing, it will test and verify all the engines are working and then proceed to a propulsive landing (or else revert to chutes).\u201d<\/p>\n
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However, as was expected \u2013 and prudent \u2013 the Dragon V2 will not rush into utilizing propulsive landings.<\/p>\n
First up with be tests of the propulsive landing technology at SpaceX\u2019s McGregor test site in Texas, involving the DragonFly test vehicle, which will look very similar to the Dragon V2.<\/p>\n
The DragonFly testing regime will allow for engineers to fine-tune the technology, prior to the first propulsive landing for a Dragon V2.<\/p>\n
As has now been revealed by Dr. Reisman, Dragon V2 will initially conclude missions under her parachutes, prior to a later switch to a fully propulsive landing.<\/p>\n
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This will allow of an incremental approach to transitioning the V2 toward the eventual goal of landing exclusively under SuperDraco power. However, the new thrusters will still find a use during the final few seconds of landing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe land on land under parachutes and then use the SuperDraco launch abort system to provide cushioning for the final touchdown,\u201d noted the former Shuttle astronaut to Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Working Group this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we have landing legs that are designed to take up any residual load and allow us to land on a variety of different surface hardnesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe propulsive assist is really just in the final descent and landing really within the last few seconds otherwise it\u2019s parachute all the way down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crew safety is still the obvious priority, regardless of the landing method, with Dr. Reisman noting that the Dragon V2 can abort to water, but also to land, even without any propulsive assist for a soft touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole landing system is designed so that it\u2019s survivable if there\u2019s no propulsive assist at all. So if you come down chutes only with the landing legs, we anticipate no crew injury. It\u2019ll be kind of like landing in the Soyuz.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the current Dragon returns from her CRS mission under parachute assist \u2013 for an ocean splashdown \u2013 the Dragon V2 will employ an improved version of the chutes.<\/p>\n
This is, in part, required for the additional strains of an abort scenario, something that is not required during cargo missions.<\/p>\n
![\"Z9\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Z91.jpg\")
Testing the new parachutes has already taken place, with a drop test conducted under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) milestones. <\/p>\n
The successful test was conducted at Morro Bay, in California, demonstrating how the parachute system would function in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during ascent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parachutes had to be completely redesigned from the cargo version, because they have to be able to work in a pad abort case,\u201d Dr. Reisman said at the FISO. \u201cYou have to be able to open them up at very low altitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The test requirements for the Dragon V2 will involve a pad abort and an in-flight abort test.<\/p>\n
The pad abort test is scheduled to take place in November, two months prior to the in-flight abort test.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon we will be left with the two big ticket items, which are the abort tests,\u201d Dr. Reisman continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pad abort test is going to be a very flight-like Dragon and Trunk, but it\u2019s going to depart from a truss structure rather than sitting atop of a Falcon 9.\u201d<\/p>\n
This test will involve a passenger, although his name remains a secret.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ll do it at the Cape (SLC-40) and we\u2019re going to have a crash test dummy inside in a prototype seat, so we\u2019ll get data from that for the crew seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have a very flight-like propulsion system per what goes into the abort, including the avionics, which will be identical to the avionics were are planning for the flight vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat test will prove if we have enough total impulse, thrust and controllability (to conduct a safe pad abort).\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Z15.jpg\")
Providing all goes to plan with the pad abort, the next test, set for January, will utilize a Falcon 9 that will provide a real life test of an in-flight abort.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe greatest challenge is the in-flight abort test that will occur not quite at Max-Q, but at Max Drag, which is in the transonic region,\u201d added Dr. Reisman.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe plan to fly a modified Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle and then have Dragon punch out right when we hit that criteria.\u201d<\/p>\n
These tests will satisfy the milestones in SpaceX\u2019s agreement with NASA under the CCiCAP contract.<\/p>\n
However, by that time, engineers and technicians at the Californian company will hope they\u2019ll be busy working through their CCtCap requirements, another step on the path to removing America\u2019s reliance on the Russian Soyuz for its crew transportation needs.<\/p>\n
(Images via SpaceX, Boeing, SNC, NASA and L2).<\/p>\n
(Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ \u2013 to view how you can support NSF and access the best space flight content on the entire internet).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SpaceX\u2019s Commercial Crew contender, the Dragon V2, will initially return to terra firma under parachutes, assisted by a SuperDraco soft touchdown firing, according to Dragon V2 Program Lead Dr. Garrett Reisman. Eventually, the impressive spacecraft will employ pinpoint propulsive landings, once the technology has been matured via the DragonFly test program. Dragon V2: SpaceX\u2019s crew version of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8996,4055,7893,3985,1395,8726,479,233,8473,316],"class_list":["post-39517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ccdev","tag-ccicap","tag-ccp","tag-cctcap","tag-dragon","tag-dragon-v2","tag-falcon-9","tag-iss","tag-las","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39517"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}