SpaceX preparing its Dragon spacecraft for its November trip to the ISS

[pokerfan]

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is preparing its next Dragon spacecraft for a trip to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has worked over the last several months to make sure that the spacecraft is set for the Nov. 30 launch date that has given to the commercial space company. If all goes according to plan, a little more than a week after launch – the Dragon will dock with the ISS.





http://www.universetoday.com/88191/spacex-dragon-iss-bound

[LastDemocratInSC]

1. Dragon is a beautiful craft

But SpaceX had better be prepared for some bitter losses. To make it to ISS you have to go really high and really fast, and to come back, all that energy must be dissipated.

History has shown that the path to space is littered with death and destruction so this Cinderella company had better be willing to go back to the drawing boards once in a while and eventually go to funerals, too. It will happen, as surely as IIS orbits the Earth.

[DCKit]

2. Where's the space for the payload?

It's a beautiful rocket, but if they're only supplying crew, that just means that Russia is still picking up our slack.

That said, I hope it all goes perfectly well.

[pokerfan]

3. This is a cargo mission

They won't be crew-rated for a couple of years...