Just now, Musk made space history again! SpaceX's first manned launch mission was successful
Qian Ming, Jin Lei and Bai Jiao sent this article from Aofei Temple
Quantum Bit Report | Public Account QbitAI
The same Florida, the same Kennedy Space Center, and a new journey to the stars and the sea, but with a different name:
Doug Hurley , Bob Behnken - two astronauts, and Elon Musk.
On May 31, 2020, Beijing time, SpaceX launched its first manned flight mission in history,
the first time in human history that a commercial company sent people into space
.
Musk has once again done what he said, once again made his dream come true, and once again taken a big step forward for the future of mankind.
Burning!
12 minutes later, the manned Dragon spacecraft entered space
At around 3 a.m. Beijing time on May 31, two days later than originally planned, the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, which had been standing on the launch pad for more than a week, began to move, preparing again for the upcoming mission.
At 3:23, the long-awaited scene arrived.
Ignite and launch!
Accompanied by a roar and rising smoke, the Falcon 9 carrying the Dragon spacecraft and astronauts moved towards space.
Two minutes and 40 seconds later, the Falcon 9's first stage separated from the upper stage, and then (nine minutes after launch) it landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket's second-stage engine roared, carrying the Dragon spacecraft into orbit.
The whole process lasted about 6 minutes.
The rocket's second stage then separated from the Dragon spacecraft with its solar panels.
The first-stage rocket of SpaceX Falcon 9 also successfully landed in the recovery ship, and the two astronauts fist-bumped to celebrate.
At about 12 minutes and 10 seconds, the second stage of the rocket separated from the Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX's first manned space launch phase was successfully completed!
Next, the Dragon spacecraft will need to use its own thrusters to complete the rest of the journey to the International Space Station.
The astronauts will return to Earth in 1-4 months.
According to the plan previously revealed by SpaceX, the Dragon spacecraft will complete docking with the International Space Station in 19 hours, which is around 23:00 tonight (Beijing time).
The entire process is driven by an automatic docking system, but astronauts can also control the docking manually (if you want to experience what it feels like to dock with a space station, we have left a surprise for you in the comment section).
After the docking is completed, the astronauts carrying out this mission will stay in the space station for about 30-119 days, during which time they can participate in the scientific experiments being conducted in the space station.
As for when to return, NASA and SpaceX stated in previous information disclosures that it will depend on the status of the Dragon spacecraft.
According to a previous BBC report, the solar cells on the Dragon spacecraft will degrade in orbit, so NASA will definitely send the astronauts home before the performance of the spacecraft hardware is affected.
During the return process, the Dragon spacecraft and the astronauts will also undergo rigorous tests.
After the return date is determined, the Dragon spacecraft will detach from the International Space Station, after which it will fly freely in space for two days to further test related systems and procedures.
The boosters are then ignited for 15 minutes to allow the spacecraft to leave orbit and then fall.
At that time, the Dragon spacecraft will enter the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 27,000 kilometers per hour. On the one hand, the friction of particles in the atmosphere will produce resistance to slow down the Dragon spacecraft's descent, but it will also generate a high temperature of 1,600 degrees Celsius on its surface.
According to SpaceX's previous plan, after passing through the atmosphere, at the appropriate altitude, four parachutes will open to reduce the impact force and allow the Dragon spacecraft to land at an inclined angle about 450 kilometers from the coast of Florida.
Afterwards, the staff who had been waiting nearby will help the astronauts leave the Dragon spacecraft.
The entire manned space mission will be successfully completed.
The miracle in the history of space exploration will once again be written by Musk.
And, of course, there are the astronauts on this mission.
Two NASA veterans stepped up, and Trump watched
The mission is called Demo-2, and the two astronauts who took part are Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, both veterans of NASA.
Bob Behnken, born on July 28, 1970 in Creve Coo, Missouri, is a PhD in mechanical engineering, a U.S. Air Force officer, NASA astronaut and former director of the Astronaut Office.
He holds the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force and has logged over 1,000 hours of piloting experience in 25 different aircraft.
In March 2008, he participated in three spacewalks during his mission; in February 2010, he again performed three spacewalks during his mission.
Doug Hurley is nearly four years older than Bob Bacon. Born on October 21, 1966, he was a former naval pilot with more than 5,500 hours of flying experience in 25 aircraft.
In 2009 and 2011, they carried out space missions respectively, spending more than 683 hours in space. In July 2015, they were selected as the first batch of astronauts in the US commercial space program.
This Space X mission has also attracted attention from all parties across the United States. The United States needs to prove itself in manned space flight.
Since the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle in 2011, every time the United States wants to send astronauts into space, it has to go through Russia.
This is the first time in nine years that it has sent astronauts into space.
Therefore, the relevant information of Space X’s mission this time is directly named LaunchAmerica .
Before the first launch attempt began, Trump also retweeted the relevant news released by NASA.
Space X has been preparing for 9 years to create history
Perhaps you remember that in January of this year, SpaceX deliberately detonated a Falcon 9 rocket to test the escape capability of the Crew Dragon spacecraft in extreme situations.
But this is only part of the plan.
In 2011, the year the U.S. space shuttle was retired, NASA signed a commercial manned space development contract with SpaceX.
In Musk's view, traditional manned space systems are the product of an outdated era, and what they need to do is definitely not to send people into space in the original way.
Instead, a new system is being rebuilt, including the Crew Dragon spacecraft, launch system, recovery system, astronaut flight equipment, and so on.
For example, in the Dragon spacecraft that carried out this mission, the spacesuits worn by the two astronauts were made through 3D printing technology, and were free of the bulkiness of previous spacesuits.
The Dragon spacecraft they took had a touch screen as the main operating panel, instead of the buttons, toggle switches, joysticks, etc. that we see in the movies.
This development took 7 years.
In 2018, SpaceX's commercial manned space system was launched, and the actual testing phase began.
In early March 2019, SpaceX completed the "Demo-1" flight mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the first time to the International Space Station and returned to Earth safely.
The effectiveness of the system was confirmed, laying a solid foundation for today's manned space missions.
But this is not the end. The name of this mission also gives us some clues.
Demo-2 is a rehearsal mission, and if successful, SpaceX will receive final certification for its manned spacecraft.
If all goes well, Musk will continue with the first operational mission Crew 1 a month later , which will last about 6 months.
Currently, the spacecraft to carry out the new mission is under construction, and the four selected astronauts are also undergoing training.
One more thing
Finally, the successful launch of SpaceX is of even greater significance to Musk.
Because this is not only a milestone event in the founding of his company, but also a story of a young man realizing his dream.
51 years ago, Apollo 11 successfully achieved humanity's historic lunar landing.
Two years later, Elon Musk was born in South Africa.
But in a later interview, Musk was blunt:
The Apollo 11 moon landing is perhaps one of the most inspiring events in human history, the most inspiring, and one of the few events in history that has benefited all of humanity. The inspiration it has provided to the people of Earth is immeasurable.
Silicon Valley Iron Man emphasized:
It has definitely inspired me. Without Apollo 11, there would probably be no SpaceX. Now, year after year, I look forward to continuing to push forward and surpass Apollo 11.
Therefore, the historic success of SpaceX and Musk is not just the success of a company or an individual.
It will also be an amazing science popularization and profound enlightenment for the whole world.
Perhaps the next Musk will be among the teenagers affected by this incident.
Human beings are strong because of their dreams, and dreams have no borders or boundaries. They are passed down from generation to generation and then create new star realms.
Look up at the sky, your dreams are there.
The author is a contracted author of NetEase News and NetEase "Each has its own attitude"
-over-
Huawei MindSpore Evangelist Recruitment
Helping newbies become experts
Say goodbye to technology deification and respect every developer.
Grow rapidly together in the open source community and build an open source ecosystem together!
Scan the QR code below to sign up and participate~
Quantum Bit QbitAI · Toutiao signed author
Tracking new trends in AI technology and products
If you like it, click "Watching"!