SpaceX will launch Dragon with 2 people on Falcon Heavy for a circumlunar mission in late 2018.
29 replies, posted
[quote]We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission. Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results.
Most importantly, we would like to thank NASA, without whom this would not be possible. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provided most of the funding for Dragon 2 development, is a key enabler for this mission. In addition, this will make use of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which was developed with internal SpaceX funding. Falcon Heavy is due to launch its first test flight this summer and, once successful, will be the most powerful vehicle to reach orbit after the Saturn V moon rocket. At 5 million pounds of liftoff thrust, Falcon Heavy is two-thirds the thrust of Saturn V and more than double the thrust of the next largest launch vehicle currently flying.[/quote]
Source:
[url]http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year[/url]
[media]https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/836326945059180544[/media]
[media]https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/836020571490021376[/media]
[QUOTE=Bradyns;51883304][media]https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/836020571490021376[/media]
Source:
[url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/02/27/watch-live-elon-musk-makes-mystery-spacex-announcement/98492204/[/url][/QUOTE]
Well now, this should be interesting. Wonder what it could be about?
[QUOTE=joshuadim;51883311]Well now, this should be interesting. Wonder what it could be about?[/QUOTE]
SpaceX
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;51883316]SpaceX[/QUOTE]
That's controversial, we might need some more proof
elon musk reveals spacex's moonbase, which is already operational
he's gonna announce they already sent a man to mars and then flips the bird at richard branson
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;51883396]elon musk reveals spacex's moonbase, which is already operational[/QUOTE]
Laughing manically, he speaks: "now witness the firepower of this fully operational moonbase!"
The moonbase fires a laser, destroying the White House.
The world applauds and crown Elon Prime Minister of earth.
[QUOTE]The announcement seems to be a media only conference call. Will update once more information available[/QUOTE]
According to /r/SpaceX.
So no stream? :<
[QUOTE=Sojourner;51883370][media]https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/836318688244543490[/media]
[media]https://twitter.com/NASAWatch/status/836319884208402432[/media][/QUOTE]
Who is Somone? And how is he/she able to drink beer through a spacesuit? Is that the secret? An air duct but for beer consumption? A so called beer duct?
[url=http://pastebin.com/XqCtN10s]Make my stupid game prototype's timeline true, Elon![/url]
Edit: Being real for a moment though, I bet it's something like what was posted above. Spaceflight testing for some dudes to verify Dragon can actually support astronauts.
no fucking way
that's so cool
[QUOTE=Sojourner;51883472][media]https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/836326945059180544[/media]
[media]https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/836327349998202882[/media]
[media]https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/836327585357389825[/media]
Moon Dragon[/QUOTE]
I wonder if it's SpaceX investor Steve Jurvetson and his wife. They're rich as fuck and always doing cool stuff.
Falcon heavy is be sexy as fuck to see launched.
Another stepping stone on the road to colonization. Fucking awesome! :dogcited:
It's gotta be someone filthy fucking rich. Falcon is cheap but only compared to other rockets. Space is still expensive. The rocket alone is $100M, add in the capsule and support costs, and it's gonna be a quarter billion dollars. There are some people who have that much money, but not many that could afford to spend it on what boils down to a short vacation.
Obvious guesses:
Larry Page+Sergey Brin
Bill Gates and guest
Any two of the Waltons
Bezos would be on the list if he didn't have his own rocket company going on. The Koch brothers have the money for it too, but they're too old for spaceflight.
A less obvious guess is James Cameron. He's just barely rich enough for it, but he could make the money back on film rights alone, and he's shown interest in financing crazy exploration projects and then personally piloting them.
Not only rich, but in good physical shape as well.
[QUOTE=OvB;51883541]I wonder if it's SpaceX investor Steve Jurvetson and his wife. They're rich as fuck and always doing cool stuff.[/QUOTE]
[Media]https://twitter.com/dfjsteve/status/836338527885389828[/media]
i question how this will be legal considering they will not have flown much let alone the two weeks needed to go around the moon
[QUOTE=Sableye;51883819]i question how this will be legal considering they will not have flown much let alone the two weeks needed to go around the moon[/QUOTE]
What could possibly make it illegal? It will have passed all of NASA's tests and have taken astronauts to the Iss before this.
we're finally going back to the moon people
Didn't Trump recently announce that he wanted NASA to shift it's intent of sending an unmanned circumlunar to a manned operation?
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;51883861]Didn't Trump recently announce that he wanted NASA to shift it's intent of sending an unmanned circumlunar to a manned operation?[/QUOTE]
You're thinking of SLS EM-1 in 2020.
[QUOTE=Coyoteze;51883651]Another stepping stone on the road to colonization. Fucking awesome! :dogcited:[/QUOTE]
Going to the moon is nothing new. This is grasping.
[QUOTE=Code3Response;51884303]Going to the moon is nothing new. This is grasping.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for your input, Buzzkill Aldrin.
Given what they've said about furthest/fastest I am guessing it will be a larger elliptical orbit with a burn instead of the old free return trajectory.
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