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Does anyone know what the thinking behind the ability to sustain the crew for several days is? Is this just a step on the way to being able to sustain a crew fo

by macmac 12y ago

Does anyone know what the thinking behind the ability to sustain the crew for several days is? Is this just a step on the way to being able to sustain a crew for lunar/Mars flights or does it have any immediate utility?

theguycalledtom 12y ago
If something goes wrong with the precision manoeuvres on the way to the ISS, you can get long delays while the orbit is adjusted: http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-problem.html http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl... I kinda wish they showed off a toilet :P
- macmac 12y ago
  SpaceX branded crap bags will be a much sought after souvenir soon.
- exDM69 12y ago
  > If something goes wrong with the precision manoeuvres on the way to the ISS, you can get long delays while the orbit is adjusted: http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl.. http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl.... I kinda wish they showed off a toilet :P For the past few years, manned missions to the ISS take only 6 hours in ascent, all the rendez-vous maneuvering is being done in the duration of 4 orbits. It used to take a few days, though. However, the crews take a pre-flight enema [0] and go through a diet to avoid having to go #2. There's a story that the Soyuz toilet has been used only once in ISS missions after a Cosmonaut had been eating prunes prior to departure back to earth [sorry, can't find a link]. So for orbital operations to/from the ISS, there's not much use for a space toilet. So little, that I wouldn't be surprised if there's no toilet at all and the fallback plan is to soil your pants, as crude as it sounds. [0] http://gizmodo.com/5245218/the-trouble-with-space-toilets http://gizmodo.com/5245218/the-trouble-with-space-toilets
  - soperj 12y ago
    Not really true, Expedition 35 definite took a couple of days to get to the ISS.(as per Commander Chris Hadfield's book.)
    - exDM69 12y ago
      Soyuz has been using the short ascent only in the past few years. The Progress shuttle has been doing it longer. When Hadfield went up, they were still using the older long procedure.
      - soperj 12y ago
        He went up on 13 March 2013, so obviously not all the missions in the last few years.
- knodi123 12y ago
  Know what's simpler than a toilet? Space diapers.
jccooper 12y ago
Transport to a space station may need a few days in transit. It also makes it useful for non-station missions, such as research (DragonLab), in-orbit assembly, or satellite repair. For long-duration missions, the PICA-X heat shield has plenty of margin for a direct entry from a lunar or Mars mission. Dragon systems seem happy enough so far loitering at the ISS for an extended duration. However, the Dragon itself is still pretty darn small and may require an additional logistics/living module, which it could dock with like Apollo did the LM. Such a thing wouldn't be too hard for SpaceX to make up.

by macmac 12y ago

theguycalledtom 12y ago

If something goes wrong with the precision manoeuvres on the way to the ISS, you can get long delays while the orbit is adjusted: http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-problem.html http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl... I kinda wish they showed off a toilet :P

macmac 12y ago
SpaceX branded crap bags will be a much sought after souvenir soon.
exDM69 12y ago
> If something goes wrong with the precision manoeuvres on the way to the ISS, you can get long delays while the orbit is adjusted: http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl.. http://www.space.com/20030-spacex-dragon-space-capsule-probl.... I kinda wish they showed off a toilet :P For the past few years, manned missions to the ISS take only 6 hours in ascent, all the rendez-vous maneuvering is being done in the duration of 4 orbits. It used to take a few days, though. However, the crews take a pre-flight enema [0] and go through a diet to avoid having to go #2. There's a story that the Soyuz toilet has been used only once in ISS missions after a Cosmonaut had been eating prunes prior to departure back to earth [sorry, can't find a link]. So for orbital operations to/from the ISS, there's not much use for a space toilet. So little, that I wouldn't be surprised if there's no toilet at all and the fallback plan is to soil your pants, as crude as it sounds. [0] http://gizmodo.com/5245218/the-trouble-with-space-toilets http://gizmodo.com/5245218/the-trouble-with-space-toilets
- soperj 12y ago
  Not really true, Expedition 35 definite took a couple of days to get to the ISS.(as per Commander Chris Hadfield's book.)
  - exDM69 12y ago
    Soyuz has been using the short ascent only in the past few years. The Progress shuttle has been doing it longer. When Hadfield went up, they were still using the older long procedure.
    - soperj 12y ago
      He went up on 13 March 2013, so obviously not all the missions in the last few years.
knodi123 12y ago
Know what's simpler than a toilet? Space diapers.

jccooper 12y ago

Transport to a space station may need a few days in transit. It also makes it useful for non-station missions, such as research (DragonLab), in-orbit assembly, or satellite repair. For long-duration missions, the PICA-X heat shield has plenty of margin for a direct entry from a lunar or Mars mission. Dragon systems seem happy enough so far loitering at the ISS for an extended duration. However, the Dragon itself is still pretty darn small and may require an additional logistics/living module, which it could dock with like Apollo did the LM. Such a thing wouldn't be too hard for SpaceX to make up.