On Sunday, October 28th, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft splashed into the waters about 250 miles off the coast of Baja California after a trip to the International Space Station. The vehicle was designed to transport pressurized and unpressurized cargo as well as passengers to and from space. According to CNN, Dragon’s return marked the first successful commercial cargo mission to Earth’s orbit. The spacecraft transported approximately 900 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station, returning with nearly 1,700 pounds of freight comprised mostly of used hardware and scientific research material.
Dragon’s mission, called CRS-1, began on October 7th when the Falcon 9 rocket launched the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. During the spacecraft’s launch, one of the Falcon 9’s engines malfunctioned but the launch team was able to successfully send Dragon into space despite this issue. Scientists are looking to correct this problem as the CRS-1 was only the first of twelve scheduled launches NASA has planned for Dragon.
After being recovered from its splashdown, Dragon was transported back to SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas while its cargo was sent to NASA to be analyzed. NASA and SpaceX are optimistic about the significance of Dragon’s first mission as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told CNN, “This work will transform our relationship to space, save money and create jobs.” SpaceX’s CEO and CTO Elon Musk also commented that “This historic mission signifies the restoration of America’s ability to deliver and return critical space station cargo.”
Scientists believe that Dragon’s CRS-1 mission is a trailblazer for future space travel and suggests exciting possibilities for living in space. What cool facts have you learned about SpaceX’s Dragon? Do you think it will be possible to live in outer space someday? Let us know your thoughts on this groundbreaking event!
Filed under: Current Events, Newsletter, Technology and Kids | Tagged: Dragon, International Space Station, NASA, Outer Space, SpaceX | 2 Comments »
