What SpaceX Just Did with Dragon's Reusability Shocked NASA's Engineers...

What SpaceX Just Did with Dragon's Reusability Shocked NASA's Engineers...
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#Q88M #q88m #spacex #starship #elonmusk
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What SpaceX Just Did with Dragon's Reusability Shocked NASA's Engineers...
Reusability is the "holy grail" that will help "make life multiplanetary," and no one excels at this better than SpaceX. In fact, they are poised to set new records for the reusability of Dragon, the most powerful crewed spacecraft currently in operation.
So, how many times will Dragon be reused? And how does it outperform its competitors?
Let’s find out everything in today’s episode!
SpaceX's Dragon is currently the only U.S. spacecraft that’s reusable and human-rated. And do you know what its reuse limit is? 5 flights.
As of now, SpaceX has four Dragon spacecraft in its fleet. One of them, named Endeavour, has hit the maximum number of reuses allowed, completing five flights as it embarks on the Crew-8 mission.
So, does that mean it's retiring? No, not quite.
What SpaceX Just Did with Dragon's Reusability Shocked NASA's Engineers...
The 5-flight limit is more of a theoretical guideline. A spacecraft can exceed this limit if thorough inspections and evaluations prove it's still safe to operate. And that's exactly what NASA and SpaceX are doing—collaborating to determine Dragon's true maximum reusability.
During a press briefing on February 28, 2024, for the Crew-8 mission, Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program Manager, provided some valuable insights. SpaceX is currently conducting deep inspections on each component of the Dragon spacecraft to figure out just how many flights it can safely handle beyond the original limit.
What SpaceX Just Did with Dragon's Reusability Shocked NASA's Engineers...
"There's lifetime cycle issues, where once you start using it the third, fourth, fifth time, you start finding different things, SpaceX is really good about identifying these issues quickly and then acting quickly to fix them," said retired NASA astronaut and former SpaceX executive Garrett Reisman, who now consults for the company on human spaceflight matters.
Stich stated, “Right now, we’re starting a process we call extended certification for Dragon. We’ll be working on it throughout this year, and possibly into next year, to determine how long Dragon can keep flying.”
The number SpaceX and NASA are aiming for? 15 flights—three times the current limit. That’s totally insane!
Once Endeavour returns to Earth, it will undergo a crucial evaluation. And this isn’t just a standard check-up; it’s a series of highly rigorous quality assessments. Every detail, from the heat-resistant exterior to the intricate control systems inside, will be meticulously analyzed to assess durability and its potential for future missions.

[bigroundwatermelon]

I think that the true “holy grail” of space exploration is developing manufacturing in space, the ability to build structures in space. We are still carting bits and pieces up and joining them together like Lego, but what we should be doing is freighting materials up and then fabricating them into structural members, walls, and floors.

[gerardmartin]

I thought starliner was a write off after the 1st domo crewed space flight returned to earth without the crew because of all the glitches the spacecraft faced during its ascent to & decent from the ISS.