posted 08-08-2019 01:11 PM               

Please use this topic to discuss SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 crewed flight test to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are assigned to fly the Demo-2 mission.

posted 08-08-2019 01:17 PM               

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley recently performed suit-up and leak checks using the same Ground Support Equipment hardware that they will use for launch on SpaceX's Demo-2 mission.

Following crew suit-up, teams also performed a simulated launch countdown and several emergency egress scenarios.

posted 08-29-2019 08:57 PM               

Team in McGregor, Texas completed a static fire test today (Aug. 29) of the Falcon 9 booster that will launch Crew Dragon with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the space station.

posted 11-04-2019 07:22 AM               

In a tweet, SpaceX posted video of the latest test of the "Mark 3" parachutes it is developing in cooperation with Airborne Systems. The latest test "demonstrated the parachute system's ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails," the company said.

A SpaceX spokesperson said Nov. 3 that test in the video took place Oct. 31. It was the first time that the company tested three Mark 3 parachutes simultaneously, with the previous 12 successful tests each involving a single parachute.

SpaceX announced last month it was working on the new Mark 3 parachute design, intended to provide higher margins of safety than the earlier Mark 2 design.

posted 12-04-2019 07:42 PM               

This week SpaceX completed the 7th successful system test of Crew Dragon’s upgraded Mark 3 parachutes, which will provide a safe landing back on Earth for astronauts returning from the space station.

posted 12-23-2019 03:41 PM               

Yesterday the team completed the 10th successful multi-chute test in a row of Crew Dragon's upgraded Mark 3 parachute design – one step closer to safely launching and landing NASA astronauts.

posted 12-29-2019 09:54 PM               

Simulation of first crewed flight of Falcon 9 / Dragon 2020.

Crew Dragon should be physically ready and at the Cape in February, but completing all safety reviews will probably take a few more months. New technology development schedules tend to exhibit a version of Zeno’s Paradox — at any given point, you're halfway there.

posted 01-19-2020 01:22 PM               

Hurley says he will be vehicle commander for the Demo-2 mission, Behnken is vehicle pilot. Planning an automated docking on Demo-2 mission, but will do some manual flying on approach to ISS.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that the launch could come later if NASA decides to extend the Demo-2 mission to stay longer at the space station (in which case, the crew will need time for additional training).

Hurley and Behnken practiced suiting up and heading out to the launch pad prior to the abort test.

posted 01-19-2020 01:30 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SkyMan1958:
Does anyone know how those are supposed to be hooked up?

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posted 02-11-2020 05:29 PM               

The Crew Dragon spacecraft that will fly NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to and from the space station undergoing electromagnetic interference testing.

posted 02-14-2020 01:43 PM               

Crew Dragon in Florida ahead of its flight to and from the space station with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley onboard!

posted 02-16-2020 08:28 PM               

Crew Dragon completes acoustic testing in Florida.

posted 02-17-2020 11:46 AM            

Many press reports I've read recently lament about the "white and gray" suits but if one actually looks at the suits worn by the Demo-2 crew it is apparent that one suit is white and gray and the other is white and black (at least in the latest pics). I assume this is to distinguish between the two crew members? Does anyone know if other "white and x" colors are to be used when more than two crew fly on Dragon?

posted 02-17-2020 12:46 PM               

The SpaceX pressure garment is a commercial spacesuit owned by SpaceX and loaned to NASA astronauts for use during training and flight.

Doug Hurley's and Bob Behnken's SpaceX suits are the same color, white with gray accents. Behnken did wear black colored boots, though, during the pre-in-flight abort test dress rehearsal.

posted 03-18-2020 05:29 PM               

NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting no earlier than mid-to-late May for launch.

posted 03-24-2020 10:25 PM               

Out of an abundance of caution and to keep the helicopter crew safe, the pilot pulled the emergency release. As the helicopter was not yet at target conditions, the test article was not armed, and as such, the parachute system did not initiate the parachute deployment sequence.

While the test article was lost, this was not a failure of the parachute system and most importantly no one was injured. NASA and SpaceX are working together to determine the testing plan going forward in advance of Crew Dragon's second demonstration mission.

posted 03-27-2020 09:18 AM               

NASA Update on SpaceX Parachute Testing

To date, SpaceX has completed 24 tests of its upgraded Mark 3 parachute design they are working to certify for use on the Crew Dragon spacecraft that will fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. The system was used during the SpaceX in-flight abort test in January.

On March 24, SpaceX lost a spacecraft-like device used to test the Crew Dragon Mark 3 parachute design. The test requires a helicopter to lift the device suspended underneath it to reach the needed test parameters. However, the pilot proactively dropped the device in an abundance of caution to protect the test crew as the test device became unstable underneath the helicopter. At the time of the release, the testing device was not armed, and a test of the parachute design was not performed.

Although losing a test device is never a desired outcome, NASA and SpaceX always will prioritize the safety of our teams over hardware. We are looking at the parachute testing plan now and all the data we already have to determine the next steps ahead of flying the upcoming Demo-2 flight test in the mid-to-late May timeframe.

posted 03-31-2020 01:25 PM               

NASA, SpaceX Simulate Upcoming Crew Mission with Astronauts

Joint teams from NASA and SpaceX continue making progress on the first flight test with astronauts to the International Space Station by completing a series of mission simulations from launch to landing. The mission, known as Demo-2, is a close mirror of the company's uncrewed flight test to station in March 2019, but this time with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft launching atop a Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP).

Above: On Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, SpaceX teams in Firing Room 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the company's Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, along with NASA flight controllers in Mission Control Houston, executed a full simulation of launch and docking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley (front) participating in SpaceX's flight simulator. (SpaceX)

Over the last several months, key members of flight control teams working from NASA's Johnson and Kennedy Space Centers and SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, simulated different phases of the upcoming mission while the Demo-2 astronaut crew practiced procedures from inside a realistic simulator of Crew Dragon.

"The simulations were a great opportunity to practice procedures and to coordinate decision-making for the mission management team, especially with respect to weather," said Michael Hess, manager of Operations Integration for CCP. "Simulation supervisors do a great job at picking cases that really make the team think and discuss."

Recent simulations saw teams execute timelines from hatch closure to undocking with the space station — as well as a free flight in preparation for re-entry and splashdown. In March, the control teams and crew ran through a simulated mission starting at prelaunch and continuing through ascent and eventual rendezvous with the station.

This recent sim makes the excitement all the more tangible, especially for the greater NASA team.

"What's happening in commercial crew is a big deal," Hess said. "It will be the first time to launch astronauts from U.S. soil since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011, and it will be the first time since STS-1 that we will launch astronauts in a new spacecraft. This new spacecraft, Crew Dragon, was designed and built by SpaceX, not by NASA and traditional contractor partnerships — another first. Bob (Behnken) and Doug (Hurley) will definitely be earning their spacecraft test pilot wings with this mission. Also, the Space Station Program is really looking forward to another way to rotate crews to station to perform science and experiments to benefit all."

Above: On Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, SpaceX teams in Firing Room 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the company's Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, along with NASA flight controllers in Mission Control Houston, executed a full simulation of launch and docking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley participating in SpaceX's flight simulator. (SpaceX)

As the countdown clock winds down, Crew Dragon is undergoing final testing and prelaunch processing in a SpaceX facility on nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. All the activity is also kicking off "more simulations, final crew training and flight readiness reviews to ensure all of the mission systems and subsystems are ready for a crewed test flight," Hess noted.

When Crew Dragon launches atop a Falcon 9 rocket with Behnken and Hurley strapped inside as early as mid-to-late May, it will herald a new era for human spaceflight, enabling greater access to low-Earth orbit and destinations beyond with the help of commercial partners.

The Demo-2 crew is proceeding with its scheduled training activities. Astronaut trainers, along with all NASA employees, are closely adhering to CDC recommendations on infection control for the coronavirus. As all NASA centers are currently operating in a mode that requires any non-mission-essential work to be done remotely, the number of employees in contact with the crew is limited.

posted 04-02-2020 05:46 PM               

On Monday, March 30, 2020 at a SpaceX processing facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX successfully completed a fully integrated test of critical crew flight hardware ahead of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program; the first flight test with astronauts onboard the spacecraft.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley participated in the test, which included flight suit leak checks, spacecraft sound verification, display panel and cargo bin inspections, seat hardware rotations, and more.

posted 04-17-2020 11:50 AM               

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:32 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission. The specific duration of the mission is to be determined.

posted 04-17-2020 02:32 PM               

No decisions have been made yet, but NASA has acknowledged it is considering limiting the number of press allowed to attend, and there may or may not be public viewing (at least as it applies to federal property).

posted 04-22-2020 11:35 AM               

Small amount of isopropyl alcohol (cleaning fluid) was trapped in a sensor dead leg and ignited in flight.

posted 04-23-2020 08:03 PM               

We are asking people to join us in this launch, but to do so from home.

A lot of the folks ... know that when we launch to space from the Kennedy Space Center, it draws huge, huge crowds, and that is not right now what we're trying to do. We're trying to make sure we have access to the International Space Station, without drawing the massive amount of crowds that we usually would.

posted 05-01-2020 02:36 PM               

27th and final test of Crew Dragon’s upgraded Mark 3 parachutes complete – one step closer to flying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the space station and safely returning them back home to Earth.

posted 05-01-2020 08:12 PM               

Crew Dragon at the Cape undergoing final preparations ahead of first flight to the space station with NASA astronauts onboard.

posted 05-08-2020 01:11 PM            

The only thing I believe comes close is STS-83 and STS-94. Each had the exact same crew. Only one other shuttle mission happened in between those two flights.