SpaceX flings another bunch of humans into orbit in reused capsule atop reused booster

SpaceX has launched the second operational Crew Dragon mission, sending another four astronauts to the International Space Station. The capsule itself, dubbed Endeavour, already saw action during the Demo-2 mission in 2020 and the first stage of the Falcon 9 booster is also flight-proven, having first been used to launch the …

[spold]

Two crews

I'm thinking "Knock, Knock. Who's there?" and "Who's sleeping in my bed?".

[Ochib]

Re: Two crews

You have Hot Desking and Hot Bunking, so it shouldn't be a problem

[John Doe 12]

Re: Two crews

Even more opportunity for someone to make it into the 248 mile high club :-D

[42656e4d203239]

Re: Two crews

Rumour has it the Russians already supply the booze (outwith NASA's flat denial that this is the case)... I imagine that the 248 MH club has a select few members

Paris becasue... well its obvious innit?

[MyffyW]

Re: Two crews

Of course it's inevitably just speculation, but I wonder who the first couple to, ahem, "dock" were?

[Conundrum1885]

Re: Two crews

Its unlikely, NASA allegedly did a study suggesting that uh, personal contact in space is likely to be difficult and require assistance in the form of a large rubber band or more likely a fabric tube (2Suit) of some sort.

Even if there was ever a married couple on ISS or a future Mars ship, there are protocols that specifically prevent any sort of interaction that might lead to conflict.

The last thing you'd want is a falling out when lives depend on making decisions accurately 100% of the time without emotional involvement getting in the way.

Not least that in the event of an unfortunate accident the risks to both mother and fetus would be impossible to quantify, assuming that pregnancy in space is even possible

[Dom 3]

Re: Two crews

According to Mary Roach's "Packing for Mars" it's actually the Three Dolphin Club.

Her comment on this is "And so, as hard as it is to imagine that no astronaut has had sex in space, it is equally hard to imagine that they have".

[herman]

Re: Two crews

More like who's hanging on my strap.

[Anonymous Custard]

One careful owner...

the first stage of the Falcon 9 booster is also flight-proven...

Were you a used car salesman in a past life Richard?

[MyffyW]

Re: One careful owner...

I love flight proven

[John 110]

Re: One careful owner...

flight proven--is that the same as "previously loved"?

[Gene Cash]

Re: One careful owner...

I refer to Elon Musk as "a used booster salesman"

[druck]

Re: One careful owner...

If SpaceX were used car salesmen, they would have at least valeted the thing before selling it on. It was still covered in soot from the last flight, and just like with some old van rear window, the astronauts had scrawled their initials in the muck.

[Steve Crook]

Chewing gum

Capsule re-use is OK, but how long before someone finds chewing gum stuck under the armrests by earlier passengers...

[John Robson]

Re: Chewing gum

On the basis they they don’t to chew gum whilst they can’t easily get rid of it (save swallowing it) and have a potential extra few g acceleration at any time (in flight abort isn’t gentle) which could easily send it down the airway....

Don’t think that’s a huge concern

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Island launch

Indonesia has offered Musk the use of an island for space launches.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56797133

He has not responded yet. May be holding out for one with an extinct volcano.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Island launch

Just with their flight-incidents record they're not where I'd like to fly to and from...

[Alan Brown]

Re: Island launch

the occupants of said island aren't happy about that offer

[Dinanziame]

Endeavour

Interesting that they didn't call it Columbia or Challenger

[Screwed]

All this, and yet they can't detect if there is a driver actually in the driving seat of a Tesla. Preferably awake and aware.

[Anonymous Coward]

Different budget scale.

[Elledan]

Luxury travel package

When comparing the sardines-in-a-can configuration with the Soyuz mission to the seas of space and elbow room in a Crew Dragon capsule, the latter must feel positively luxurious to those who have had the Soyuz experience before.

Not to mention the ability to seat four and all their carry-on luggage. No wonder there was talk of a 'Gray Dragon' version that'd allow for travel to the Moon. Pretty sure they got more space than the astronauts on the Saturn V moon missions. Plus touch screens :)

[ThatOne]

Recycling all the way down, er, up

> in reused capsule atop reused booster

...carrying reused astronauts.

[herman]

Reuse

I think it was a bunch of reused astronauts also. At least, they can land in the capsule and don’t have to eject and land by parachute like Gagarin did.

[PhilipN]

Extraordinary reactions

That is, given yet another ground-breaking and gob-smacking achievement. remarks here are tepid to say the least.

Musk has made space exploration routine?

One way or another it reveals what a strange world we inhabit.