Posted on 09/11/2015 10:24:42 AM PDT by Red Badger
SpaceX's new Crew Dragon capsule may be reserved for astronauts traveling to and from the International Space Station — but now you can take a virtual tour of the vehicle's insides. The company just released interior photos of the spacecraft, as well as a video showing closeups of its control panels and crew seats. The images offer our first glimpse at what the finished Crew Dragon will look like.
The photos show an interior that is sleek and smooth, with mostly black and white hardware. It gives off the vibe of a luxury sports car (which makes sense, given CEO Elon Musk also runs a high-end car business). The capsule has seven seats for crew, made of carbon fiber and Alcantara cloth. Video displays in front of the seats will provide information to the astronauts about the vehicle's position in space and the environment on board. There's even an environmental control system that astronauts can adjust in case the Crew Dragon's temperature is too hot or too cold.
Of course, any good ride needs a view of what's going on outside. Four windows embedded in the spacecraft's walls will allow astronauts to soak in the amazing view during their trip into space.
SpaceX is developing the Crew Dragon for NASA as part of the Commercial Crew Program. The space agency awarded both SpaceX and Boeing contracts to manufacture and operate crew vehicles to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the ISS. The initiative is meant to stimulate the private sector, as well as decrease America's reliance on Russian rockets for getting into space.
Check out more images of the Crew Dragon below.
VIDEO AT LINK............................
Is that Col Panic?
Wonder if that’s real or a CAD rendering.
I believe he’s been promoted.
Probably a mock-up...................
I would suggest that like a lot of airplanes, it probably flies itself.
If there is that much of a failure, probably not much you could do. Spam in a can.
The robots will be doing all the work and the humans will be as useful as monkeys. ;-)
Not anymore.
Yes, they do. Lots of safetied toggles and switches, push buttons and dials that require several pounds of pressure. I doubt there are any touch screens that do anything besides control displays.
I meant not anymore as touchpads take over due to cost and weight savings. I’m not saying that is the current standard, but it is evolving toward touchpads.
By the way, that bar over the touchpad is put there to rest your fingers on and then you press the pad with your thumb. This is already a standard implementation of using touchpads on devices where you need an accurate button press.
"I had in mind a jimp."
The “fly into orbit” button most be on the other side.
Interesting
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