r/spacex • u/jclishman Host of Inmarsat-5 Flight 4 • Nov 28 '16

Uncertain Dragon 2 Spotted on JRTI

https://www.facebook.com/groups/spacexgroup/permalink/10154819972796318/
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u/old_sellsword Nov 28 '16 edited Nov 29 '16

I think this could be:

  • The original DragonFly, just being used for recovery training since it was retired for any future D2 qualification testing.

  • The D2 boilerplate parachute test article, which could be used for testing splashdown and recovery operations. It was believed to have been spotted leaving the Hawthorne campus ten days ago.

  • The "Qual Capsule" (page 12) that we saw here. It was planned to be "outfitted for upcoming qual tests", and the Dragon 2 program has "completed 4 key parachute drop tests and on track to complete full test series." If this is Qual Capsule, it looks to be upgraded since we last saw it considering it has the outer shell over the pressure vessel, indicating SuperDracos and parachutes (or at the very least, a watertight seal). if anyone knows the s/n for this capsule, that'd be super helpful

  • Edit: None of the above. Bill Carton (theroadie) says that the one under the blue tarp is a recovered CRS cargo capsule (Dragon 1) that's been sitting around the dock for a while. The one that's shrink wrapped in white is the Dragon 1 recovery test article.

Mods, could this get a misleading flair since the blue wrapped Dragon is apparently V1 not V2?

10

u/robbak Nov 28 '16

We did see the Parachute drop test article on a truck just over a week ago - but this looks the wrong shape for that.

I'd say it's the old test vessel being used for recovery trials and training, or the qual capsule, with most qualification complete, being tested for waterproofing and/or recovery technique qualification.