6 ms·

I'm actually surprised they use a touchscreen interface, and they will use that for the manual docking too! https://i.imgur.com/YKiqIqO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/

I'm actually surprised they use a touchscreen interface, and they will use that for the manual docking too! https://i.imgur.com/YKiqIqO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YKiqIqO.jpg

tmabraham 6y ago
Yes, overall Crew Dragon seems to have a very clean design in general.
- dugditches 6y ago
  Think the comments more about usability/feedback vs visual. Especially wearing thick gloves.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
TrainedMonkey 6y ago
Display can be used for manual docking, however there is no plan to ever do that outside of an emergency.
- Rebelgecko 6y ago
  Aren't they planning on doing it tomorrow morning?
  - Gene_Parmesan 6y ago
    They are going to have some time to use the manual controls beforehand, for testing purposes, but I believe the docking procedure itself will be done by autopilot.
  - efxhoy 6y ago
    They said in the press conference after launch that docking will be automatic. The purpose of this mission is to demo dragon and testing automatic docking is part of that.
bryanlarsen 6y ago
There are two rows of physical buttons below the touch screens along with a large manual abort lever. The physical buttons are used for manual docking.
- fermienrico 6y ago
  And it’s painted black against black backdrop when the decision to pull it happens in milliseconds level. :facepalm: This is what a Martin Baker ejection handle looks like: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJTDWG/martin-baker-ejection-seat-out-of-and-f4-phantom-jet-fighter-aircraft-BJTDWG.jpg https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJTDWG/martin-baker-ejection-seat-... With all due respect to all the engineers that work at SpaceX, the UI of the cockpit has regressed to the point of pure marketing. Same with the suit design, looks like an awful low budget sci-fi film. Functionalism and the beauty in the way things are without adornment is dying. And, it is painful to watch as a engineer who designs HMI systems. IMO design and aesthetic that emerge out of the way things are is so much more authentic than CEO's inspiration from a sci-fi movie genre that was probably conceived by some guy in 80's in half a dozen hours before before putting up a hollywood set. These movie makers did not study UX/UI and it was all about entertaining the audience. Just look at how functional and beautiful the aesthetics of space flight was like during the golden era of Apollo 11. There was no design. There was just pure emergence of aesthetics from whatever they were doing to make things functional (ok, with some small exceptions like the logo and US flag on the suits): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpLrp0SW8yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpLrp0SW8yg Checkout the new Mars rover - absolutely zero marketing, pure function - https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8649/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-gets-balanced/ https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8649/nasas-perseverance-mars-rove... If SpaceX designed a mars rover, it would have gaudy shrouds and plastic covers, probably some LED lights to make it look cool, sleek 30, 45, 60 degree angles everywhere (ohhh space aesthetics), and all kinds of marketing bullshit whereas NASA engineers are focused on what is important. And it is gorgeous without even trying.
  - NikolaeVarius 6y ago
    It's almost like these missions all have vastly different mission requirements. They sent voyager up with the Golden record. Those dumb engineers wasted precious mass on something purely for sentimental value. Also compare with other abort modes Shuttle was a dial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_abort_modes#/media/File:Space_Shuttle_abort_panel.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_abort_modes#/med...
sneak 6y ago
I understand it runs Chromium code and that the UI is written in Javascript. https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/what-computer-and-software-is-used-by-the-falcon-9 https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/what-computer...
- runawaybottle 6y ago
  Wait wait, you’re telling me there’s Javascript floating around in space (not including web traffic being sent through satellites)?
  - benjamind 6y ago
    Yup.
    - runawaybottle 6y ago
      That’s pretty dope.
  - fpoling 6y ago
    I am skeptical about UI. How do they implement that triple redundancy as a protection against radiation damage?
    - hobofan 6y ago
      Not on the application layer?
    - est 6y ago
      I assume if Tesla is using QT under Linux, Dragon would probably do the same?
- gfodor 6y ago
  Wow, had I known that this whole thing would have been a lot more nerve wracking.
rkagerer 6y ago
You can try out the docking maneuvers in this official minigame: https://iss-sim.spacex.com/ https://iss-sim.spacex.com/ Personally I found the lack of analog input control harrying toward the end. A toggle between "large" and "normal" thrust mode is all you get. Normal felt like it wasn't fine-grained enough.
- tenpies 6y ago
  It's the Tesla approach, form > function.
  - jm4 6y ago
    BS. Do you think for a second some Tesla engineer or Elon Musk himself could design the most important control panel on a spaceship to look pretty without the support of the people who have to use it? If the astronauts or NASA engineers weren’t ok with it, it wouldn’t be there.
    - rkagerer 6y ago
      Reading between the lines, I have a hunch the astronauts have mixed feelings about it ("this is certainly different") but ultimately accept it as adequate for the job. You are correct there were a lot of iterations involving the engineers and the pilots to arrive at the final result.

I'm actually surprised they use a touchscreen interface, and they will use that for the manual docking too! https://i.imgur.com/YKiqIqO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YKiqIqO.jpg

tmabraham 6y ago

Yes, overall Crew Dragon seems to have a very clean design in general.

dugditches 6y ago
Think the comments more about usability/feedback vs visual. Especially wearing thick gloves.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

TrainedMonkey 6y ago

Display can be used for manual docking, however there is no plan to ever do that outside of an emergency.

Rebelgecko 6y ago
Aren't they planning on doing it tomorrow morning?
- Gene_Parmesan 6y ago
  They are going to have some time to use the manual controls beforehand, for testing purposes, but I believe the docking procedure itself will be done by autopilot.
- efxhoy 6y ago
  They said in the press conference after launch that docking will be automatic. The purpose of this mission is to demo dragon and testing automatic docking is part of that.

bryanlarsen 6y ago

There are two rows of physical buttons below the touch screens along with a large manual abort lever. The physical buttons are used for manual docking.

fermienrico 6y ago
And it’s painted black against black backdrop when the decision to pull it happens in milliseconds level. :facepalm: This is what a Martin Baker ejection handle looks like: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJTDWG/martin-baker-ejection-seat-out-of-and-f4-phantom-jet-fighter-aircraft-BJTDWG.jpg https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJTDWG/martin-baker-ejection-seat-... With all due respect to all the engineers that work at SpaceX, the UI of the cockpit has regressed to the point of pure marketing. Same with the suit design, looks like an awful low budget sci-fi film. Functionalism and the beauty in the way things are without adornment is dying. And, it is painful to watch as a engineer who designs HMI systems. IMO design and aesthetic that emerge out of the way things are is so much more authentic than CEO's inspiration from a sci-fi movie genre that was probably conceived by some guy in 80's in half a dozen hours before before putting up a hollywood set. These movie makers did not study UX/UI and it was all about entertaining the audience. Just look at how functional and beautiful the aesthetics of space flight was like during the golden era of Apollo 11. There was no design. There was just pure emergence of aesthetics from whatever they were doing to make things functional (ok, with some small exceptions like the logo and US flag on the suits): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpLrp0SW8yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpLrp0SW8yg Checkout the new Mars rover - absolutely zero marketing, pure function - https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8649/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-gets-balanced/ https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8649/nasas-perseverance-mars-rove... If SpaceX designed a mars rover, it would have gaudy shrouds and plastic covers, probably some LED lights to make it look cool, sleek 30, 45, 60 degree angles everywhere (ohhh space aesthetics), and all kinds of marketing bullshit whereas NASA engineers are focused on what is important. And it is gorgeous without even trying.
- NikolaeVarius 6y ago
  It's almost like these missions all have vastly different mission requirements. They sent voyager up with the Golden record. Those dumb engineers wasted precious mass on something purely for sentimental value. Also compare with other abort modes Shuttle was a dial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_abort_modes#/media/File:Space_Shuttle_abort_panel.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_abort_modes#/med...

sneak 6y ago

I understand it runs Chromium code and that the UI is written in Javascript. https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/what-computer-and-software-is-used-by-the-falcon-9 https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/9243/what-computer...

runawaybottle 6y ago
Wait wait, you’re telling me there’s Javascript floating around in space (not including web traffic being sent through satellites)?
- benjamind 6y ago
  Yup.
  - runawaybottle 6y ago
    That’s pretty dope.
- fpoling 6y ago
  I am skeptical about UI. How do they implement that triple redundancy as a protection against radiation damage?
  - hobofan 6y ago
    Not on the application layer?
  - est 6y ago
    I assume if Tesla is using QT under Linux, Dragon would probably do the same?
gfodor 6y ago
Wow, had I known that this whole thing would have been a lot more nerve wracking.

rkagerer 6y ago

You can try out the docking maneuvers in this official minigame: https://iss-sim.spacex.com/ https://iss-sim.spacex.com/ Personally I found the lack of analog input control harrying toward the end. A toggle between "large" and "normal" thrust mode is all you get. Normal felt like it wasn't fine-grained enough.

tenpies 6y ago
It's the Tesla approach, form > function.
- jm4 6y ago
  BS. Do you think for a second some Tesla engineer or Elon Musk himself could design the most important control panel on a spaceship to look pretty without the support of the people who have to use it? If the astronauts or NASA engineers weren’t ok with it, it wouldn’t be there.
  - rkagerer 6y ago
    Reading between the lines, I have a hunch the astronauts have mixed feelings about it ("this is certainly different") but ultimately accept it as adequate for the job. You are correct there were a lot of iterations involving the engineers and the pilots to arrive at the final result.