Future of Space Flight in HD
With NASA #39;s retired shuttles mothballed in museums, 2012 saw a new kind of spacecraft blaze its own path toward the International Space Station. In May, the Dragon space capsule mdash; developed, owned and operated by California-based SpaceX mdash; was launched from atop a Falcon-9 rocket, becoming the first private craft to dock with the ISS. A feat achieved by only a few governments, the docking, says SpaceX chief Elon Musk, signaled more than a mere technological breakthrough. "This was a crucial step," Musk said of the unmanned mission that was completed in conjunction with NASA. "It makes the things in the future, and the ultimate path toward humanity becoming a multi-planet species, much, much more likely." Designed to carry cargo or crew, the Dragon capsule is slated for a manned test within three years. Also working with NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation, which has developed the Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo craft, has a planned 2013 demonstration flight to the space station. At Kennedy Space Center for SpaceX #39;s second successful ISS mission in October, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said these partnerships spur innovation and benefit the US space program. "We #39;re handing off to the private sector our transportation to the International Space Station so that NASA can focus on what we do best mdash; exploring even deeper into our solar system, with missions to an asteroid and Mars on the horizon," he said. NASA officials have said the agency, via partnerships, is on track to ...From:NASAexploreViews:1 1ratingsTime:02:49More inScience Technology
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Future of Space Flight in HD - Video
