Elon Musk will unveil 1st MANNED Dragon spacecraft tonight!

You can watch this announcement on SPACE.com. This is very exciting! It feels as if a new era is Space exploration is finally here with SpaceX leading the way amoung many ambitiious Space entrepreneurs. "Other funded companies competing to fly NASA astronauts include Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft, which is a shuttle-like vehicle that would use a runway to return to Earth, and The Boeing Co.'s CST-100 spacecraft that would launch on an Atlas 5 rocket."

Until now, SpaceX has been making deliveries to the ISS with an unmanned Dragon capsule, however, now SpaceX has a manned capsule; safe to fly because of its launch abort engines called "Super Draco Thrusters" to be used for escapes during launch emergencies.

The Dragon V2, or Version 2 as the crewed Dragon capsule is called, is a gumdrop-shaped spacecraft designed to carry up to seven astronauts on trips to and from low-Earth orbit. Its maximum crew capacity matches that of NASA’s space shuttles, and is more than twice the capacity of Russia’s three-person Soyuz space capsules. Since the retirement of NASA’s shuttle program in 2011, the Russian Soyuz has been the only vehicle available for space station trips.

Some may not see the importance in this development; some will, but believe me this is HUGE! The pace for Space exploration will soon quicken now that NASA has passed the torch to the private sector. What says ATS?

www.space.com...

will they include their red dragon prototype on that unveiling?

originally posted by: lostbook
You can watch this announcement on SPACE.com. This is very exciting! It feels as if a new era is Space exploration is finally here with SpaceX leading the way amoung many ambitiious Space entrepreneurs. "Other funded companies competing to fly NASA astronauts include Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft, which is a shuttle-like vehicle that would use a runway to return to Earth, and The Boeing Co.'s CST-100 spacecraft that would launch on an Atlas 5 rocket."

Until now, SpaceX has been making deliveries to the ISS with an unmanned Dragon capsule, however, now SpaceX has a manned capsule; safe to fly because of its launch abort engines called "Super Draco Thrusters" to be used for escapes during launch emergencies.

The Dragon V2, or Version 2 as the crewed Dragon capsule is called, is a gumdrop-shaped spacecraft designed to carry up to seven astronauts on trips to and from low-Earth orbit. Its maximum crew capacity matches that of NASA’s space shuttles, and is more than twice the capacity of Russia’s three-person Soyuz space capsules. Since the retirement of NASA’s shuttle program in 2011, the Russian Soyuz has been the only vehicle available for space station trips.

Some may not see the importance in this development; some will, but believe me this is HUGE! The pace for Space exploration will soon quicken now that NASA has passed the torch to the private sector. What says ATS?

www.space.com...

With Atlas engine supplies drying up, (made in Russia) I would not bet on Boeing.

originally posted by: pikestaff
With Atlas engine supplies drying up, (made in Russia) I would not bet on Boeing.

Boeing's CST-100 is also compatible with the Delta-IV, which is a launch vehicle that is also supplied (along with the Atlas V) by their partner, United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance is in the process of transitioning from the Atlas launch vehicles to Delta launch vehicles exclusively.

Boeing's CST-100 is also compatible with SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Therefore, Boeing has it covered if/when the supply of engines for the Atlas rocket dries up.

originally posted by: Soylent Green Is People

originally posted by: pikestaff
With Atlas engine supplies drying up, (made in Russia) I would not bet on Boeing.

Boeing's CST-100 is also compatible with the Delta-IV, which is a launch vehicle that is also supplied (along with the Atlas V) by their partner, United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance is in the process of transitioning from the Atlas launch vehicles to Delta launch vehicles exclusively.

Boeing's CST-100 is also compatible with SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Therefore, Boeing has it covered if/when the supply of engines for the Atlas rocket dries up.

I was never worried about Boeing.

I cannot wait to be a space pirate.