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SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule Shown Vertical Prior to Testing

Work is progressing fast at SpaceX on what is to become the first American space capsule in decades to carry astronauts into orbit. Called Crew Dragon, the capsule was shown on Monday by Elon Musk as it awaited testing.
SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule 1 photo
Photo: Twitter/Elon Musk
The Crew Dragon is seen vertical in an anechoic chamber -  a room designed to completely absorb sound waves - getting ready for electromagnetic interference testing (EMI). Musk said that after this test is completed, the Crew Dragon would head to NASA where it will begin its training in the vacuum chamber at Plum Brook.

The Crew Dragon is to be the manned-version of the Dragon currently making trips to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

Usually, space pods the likes of which SpaceX is working on are rather austere pieces of equipment made not for comfort, but for performing a task. The Crew Dragon will, however, be capable of carrying up to seven astronauts seated in carbon fiber seats wrapped in Alcantara cloth.

According to SpaceX, the advanced emergency escape system of the Dragon would allow astronauts to escape in the case of an accident while experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland.

The  Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) can be controlled by the astronauts, who can set the spacecraft’s interior temperature to between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The capsule would be fully autonomous and would relay real-time information on the state of the spacecraft’s capabilities directly to the humans onboard.

The success of the Cargo Dragon has been proven time and time again, so should this capsule meet NASA’s requirements, we’ll probably get to see American astronauts taking off in American capsules, not in the Russian Soyuz currently in use.

SpaceX did not announce a date when the new capsule is expected to be ready, but more details are likely to be released as work progresses.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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