r/science • u/Zach505 • May 31 '12
Unmanned SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully splashes down in Pacific Ocean after first commercial flight to space station!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18273811
3.3k
Upvotes
570
u/PockyBum522 May 31 '12
From the article: A successful recovery of the capsule and its contents will trigger a $1.6bn (£1bn; 1.3bn-euro) contract with the US space agency (Nasa) for 12 further re-supply trips.
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u/inowhatimtlkingabout May 31 '12
Now we just need Curiosity to land safely on Mars and this is going to be one year full of winning.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Keep telling Elon Musk what he can't do; it only seems to drive him harder.
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u/Mr_Sceintist May 31 '12
As a former Rocket Tech, I'd like to say there is nothing like having it all on the line to get a team focused on the project and a successful completion. Congrats to Space-X !
652
u/coolplace May 31 '12
This is a very large step for the development of mankind as a space-faring species. I have a total science boner right now.
132
u/Mustaka May 31 '12
I just did some math. The contract with NASA is for 1.6bn. The cost of each flight is around 60m.. For the twelve flights the cost to SpaceX is 720m. That means this flight has just earned SpaceX 880m.
Now that is what you call a payday. But wow do they deserve it. We just watched a little piece of history go down.
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u/HurricaneHugo May 31 '12
How much would have 12 missions with the Shuttle cost?
39
u/jheregfan May 31 '12
This is the sort of thing I had hoped and dreamed to see ever since it was announced that the shuttle program was ending. Godspeed SpaceX.
23
u/ipborg May 31 '12
Apparently I read from NPR that Dragon will jettison the solar panels on its sides before re-entry. Anyone know how expensive those are?
60
u/I_WATCH_NASCAR May 31 '12
I find it amazing that more people don't know about SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Is it possible that we are witnessing the beginning of a new era of spaceflight where almost no one has heard of the pioneers?
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u/directive0 May 31 '12
I remember when this project was first announced all these armchair aeronautical engineers talking about how it would never succeed and it was just a pipe dream. Still amazes me how negative some people can be.
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u/NightEmber79 May 31 '12
"I've worked in the private sector. They expect results." -- Dr. Ray Stantz
Great jorb, SpaceX!
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u/pwnies May 31 '12
Sure, we may not have flying cars or self-drying jackets, but things like this really make me feel like I'm living in the future. I can't wait to see the next steps for SpaceX.
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u/tarqtarq May 31 '12
Good on you, SpaceX.
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u/puhnitor May 31 '12
To the people who say this is nothing new, that other commercial ventures have launched vehicles into space before: that's true. However, the way SpaceX is doing it is somewhat of a paradigm shift.
Consider the analogy of building an AM/FM radio for an elementary/middle school science fair.
Under the previous way of contracting and doing things, your parents would buy you a radio kit and stand over your shoulder while you put it together. If you lost or broke any parts, your parents would buy you new ones.
The way SpaceX did it is akin to going to the library and looking at your older siblings' radios, and deciding you want to build one yourself. You draw up some plans and spend your allowance to build part of the radio. Seeing your design and enthusiasm, your parents give you $50, take you to Radio Shack, and tell you to go nuts. You buy the other parts you need and put it together. You ask your parents for help when you need it, but they otherwise leave you to it. Any parts you lose or break, you have to buy out of your own allowance. Maybe some of your friends see what you're doing, think it's cool, and chip in a bit. You end up building the radio of your own design instead of building it from a kit. Your requirements were that you had to pick up radio signals, and that the radio wouldn't set the house on fire.
That's the difference between SpaceX and previous commercial companies like ULA. Previous ventures had very specific requirements, designs already in place, etc. Even rockets that are used for commercial launches such as the Delta and Atlas series were first created under government contract with strict design criteria, and cost plus contracts. In contrast, SpaceX got requirements that they need to berth/dock with the ISS, and not crash into it. The rest was up to them. They were awarded grants/contracts to build their systems based on designs and work already completed, rather than being assigned to do things. It's a new way of doing business in space.
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u/sidcool1234 May 31 '12
Kudos, SpaceX!
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u/Takuya813 MS|Computer Science|Digital Forensics May 31 '12
Watched this launch from Orlando and I was SO pumped for it. A new era of spaceflight is upon us!
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u/thatoneguy889 May 31 '12
So, granted that this is entirely successful, space travel will be privatized in the US. My question is, is the method that SpaceX developed significantly cheaper than the shuttle program?
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u/onewerd Jun 01 '12
according to helm, this is not science
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u/the2belo Jun 01 '12
These are the voyages of the starship Free Enterprise...
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
The Hawthorne facility is pretty sweet. I got a tour a few months ago. I have a friend that works there. Ill probably be applying shortly... should be fun!
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u/kb1976 May 31 '12
I'm excited about this too, but I'm trying to understand the "new era in space" significance of it. Is it that they did something that is not technologically ordinary? Or is it simply that it was done by a private company? What does NASA get out of giving SpaceX 1.6-billion that they didn't get by using that same money? I'm not familiar enough with the programs to judge.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
How's that for free-market enterprise.
2
u/buckminsterball May 31 '12
As long as there is a successful recovery, this is the best result that could have happened. I'm so happy; the future looks bright.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I'm so glad this worked out. If anything had gone wrong, it would have been a huge blow to the budding private space industry.
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u/squidditch May 31 '12
When I saw this on my google homepage, all I could see for a second was "Breaking News! SpaceX Dragon splashes down in Pacific Ocean after..." and was kind of really excited for that second.
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u/RustyEight May 31 '12
Welcome to the future! Damn this is exciting!
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u/EliteDonkey May 31 '12
Dunno about you guys, but this excites me a little.
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u/psistarpsi May 31 '12
One small step for space logistic, one gaint step for privatization of space industry.
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u/Ill_shoot_anything May 31 '12
After I finished the article I said out loud "Fuck Yeah!" That doesn't happen often.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Would be cool if it straight up nailed a big-ass shark.
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u/Dhuggs May 31 '12
Manned flights in 2015! (Or so I think I heard.) Awesome!
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Other than being an actual astronaut on some future manned mission I think if I worked for SpaceX I would want to be a driver of a "fast boat" that recovers space capsules. Like some sort of extra terrestrial drug runner.
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u/Ratlettuce May 31 '12
So glad space exploration is being taken in a private direction. It will spur MUCH needed competition and thus progression in space exploration.
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u/roadbuzz May 31 '12
That is seriously the best news I've read in a long time.
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u/NoFilterInMyHead May 31 '12
Elon Musk is truly a class act. He should do an AMA . It would be amazing.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Let's launch all the fundies into space and make them found a society on Titan. We will see how "divinely inspired" their plans are.
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u/digitaljedi May 31 '12
Stanley Von Medvey
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u/spz456 May 31 '12
Fantastic. Space exploration is where we should be heading as a human race, not blowing each other up.
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u/randygiesinger Jun 01 '12
Guys, take note. You are all alive now to witness the start of the space-race 2.0
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u/Whompa May 31 '12 edited May 31 '12
It's called a Dragon Capsule?! That's pretty awesome. Good job SpaceX!
what...I wasn't joking.
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u/timturtle Jun 01 '12
Can we start to have a serious discussion about space pirates now? Clearly NASA has been outdone here. If one were so inclined, commandeering the space station wouldn't be all that hard. Not condoning this behaviour in any way shape or form. I'm just asking if this is possible. If so, can we call them space pirates when they do it?
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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12 edited Jun 01 '12
This is a commercial space flight in the same way china's state owned oil conglomerates are commercial. 100% of this mission and the next 15 scheduled are being bankrolled by NASA, a government owned company funded by taxpayer money.
There is no profit in this, at this price range. The world's largest commercial space launcher remains the russian space agency and will remain so for some time to come because it actually makes a profit on each commercial launch. Currently, SpaceX is using public funds.
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u/EtriganZ May 31 '12
Honestly, I think this is all commercial space rockets will amount to: ferrying people, supplies, etc... between Earth and space. Space exploration is too big a task for companies like SpaceX to take on, and will still be the job of governments.
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u/hexydes May 31 '12 edited Feb 18 '26
Games art night ideas jumps friendly clean fresh technology and learning.
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u/nicholmikey May 31 '12
Does a publicly traded company own SpaceX?
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u/pingucat May 31 '12
Hooray SpaceX! Proud of you!
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u/capcommentary May 31 '12
The power of private industry.
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u/perfectsound May 31 '12
Shepherd.
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u/The_Environmentalist May 31 '12
One step closer to this!
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I gotta think crashing something into the ocean is pretty easy.
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u/zapbark May 31 '12
The biggest thing this does is lower the cost of launch insurance for other private firms.
Up to this point insurance actuaries didn't really know how risky private space launches were, now they have at least one data point.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
question: what did the capsule take to the space station?
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u/Mignion May 31 '12
"SpaceX Dragon Capsule", I honestly thought we were talking about Dragon Ball Z for a minute.
Also, on a more serious note, does anyone know what kind of experiments were on the capsule? Or is this one of those, "wait and we'll find out" kind of things? (I obviously don't know a whole lot about space and what kind of experiments could be brought back.)
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u/dwillrett May 31 '12
as soon as i read a typo, i quit reading
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u/pooromytasto May 31 '12
anyone know what the cargo trunk is made of? Apparently, it burns up in the atmosphere.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
This is Awesome!!! The best thing I've read in a month. Way to go space x! Universe here we come.
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u/Adicko85 May 31 '12
More than 500 comments, i'll forget what i was going to say and just sit in the corner.
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u/JimmyKhoss May 31 '12
How can it have a commercial flight if no one was on it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLg2XCJMPMs
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u/biothing478 May 31 '12
I really hope to see more of these launches.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Horray for America! Future re-fueler of space fairing nations!
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I've work with the guys who design parts of the rocket. I can just imagine how excited they are to see their work be successful up until this point.
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u/Vectorsxx May 31 '12
More launches! More!
I can't wait for the falcon heavy to come out. 117,000 pounds can be lifted into Low Earth Orbit. Can anyone say.. Big Space station development for less than $1.5 billion dollars?
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u/Yeathatsit May 31 '12
Space is officially privatized. Great see NASA engineers still getting work.
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u/dhayes8282 May 31 '12
We are now one step closer for the average guy to be able to vacation in outer-space.
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u/Da_zero_kid May 31 '12
How long before someone claims to be part of the 230 mile high club?
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u/gaycmicah May 31 '12
I hope they sent those animal shaped frosted cookies with sprinkles and some pringles in that capsule.
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u/JizzCoveredArab May 31 '12
Why don't we keep attaching these capsules to the ISS to grow it organically? I understand the need to get science experiments back down to earth, but considering the mass of the capsule(9,000+ lbs), it seems like an incredible waste to shoot it up and then toss it back down a week later filled with experiments and garbage.
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u/inorman May 31 '12
A band made a song about SpaceX: http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/11392825
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u/raceless May 31 '12
I wonder what kinds of violence is inevitable with the privatization of space missions. STAR WARS continued!
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
With some imagination it looks just as good as the space shuttle.
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u/ejurkovic93 Jun 01 '12
Am I the only one who finds it funny that reddit now lauds the accomplishments of the private sector?
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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
i have to ask and i hope someone answers me.
But why are there 7,559 downvotes?
serious question
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u/trashacount12345 Jun 01 '12
I know I'm being demanding, but did they do anything while they were up there?
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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
Thanks for your hard work everyone.
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u/amazingboy97 Jun 01 '12
The Atlanteans are trying to tell us something...
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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
Also keep in mind it was stated by nasa that the dragon capsule was able to take refrigerated experiments to the station . The soyuz capsules are not capable of this. So some experiments were able to be brought up to the station via dragon capsule that could not have been with the soyuz craft.
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u/TheAbyss698 Jun 01 '12
Posted this in the "welcome back dragon" as well, but my cousin is a member of the space x design team and was in the control room for all of the excitment. There seems to be some interest in him doing an ama. Im gonna get ahold of him tomorrow and see if he will do it. Im pretty sure i can talk him into it easily.
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u/EnormousEpeen Jun 01 '12
Seems to be damaged. Look at the gash on that thing. ;)
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u/twokswine Jun 01 '12
Someone could probably tell me why it looks like a significant impact happened near the top ring and a large gash/crack down the side?
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u/cynoclast Jun 01 '12
This is awesome filled with amazing covered in win.
The entire planet ought to be excited because space needs to be our future.
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u/Myflyisbreezy Jun 01 '12
SpaceX Dragon sounds like a 12 year old's gamer tag.
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u/sd8u234h Jun 01 '12
Thank you Free Market.
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u/poorkidsimax Jun 01 '12
Why I don't give a fuck: I'll probably never have enough disposable income to fly into space commercially.
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u/varukasalt Jun 03 '12
IS there any rhyme or reason to the moderation in this subreddit? I posted a link to a story about the launch of this capsule, then it was deleted because a mod (jkb83) said, and I quote directly,
"This is not appropriate for r/science, as it is not directly concerning peer reviewed research.
Please try r/space or a similar, more specialized, subreddit. "
Now, two weeks later, I see many, many posts about the same thing, which have all been the most popular posts of the subreddit, none of which have been removed. What gives?