SpaceX is known for its space missions. Now, it will launch its first Crew Dragon capsule on an uncrewed test mission. This mission is set to go to the International Space Station or the ISS this coming Saturday (March 2). The vehicle will be transporting a passenger. It will be a humanoid dummy that will be wearing the private space agency's black and white spacesuit.
The spacesuit also charmed the lifeless body of Starman. It is the mannequin driver of the popular red Tesla Roadster. It is the vehicle that SpaceX launched into orbit around the sun last year on the initial flight of the company's Falcon Heavy rocket.
In a news conference that happened last Friday (Feb.22), the vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX, Hans Koenigsmann said "There is a - can I say, dummy? Is that the right word?" Thus, Kathy Lueders who is the NASA Commercial Crew Program manager told Koenigsmann, that there is a fancier word for it. She is referring to the ATD or the anthropomorphic test dummy. She added that they prefer to call it that, according to Space.com.
SpaceX Is Launching a Spacesuit-Clad Dummy on 1st Crew Dragon https://t.co/P8AvOmtRnE pic.twitter.com/mJxyp4oy3z — SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) February 27, 2019
As follows, Koenigsmann replied "There is a puppet? Dummy? ATD - whatever it is - in there, And we'll measure the responses on the human body, obviously, and measure the environment. We want to make sure that everything is perfect for, you know, the safety of the astronauts." He added that he forgot to ask the name and will just call it the ATD. But he knows that he or she has a name. He is hoping that the name will be as cool as Starman or Mannequin Skywalker.
As for the upcoming uncrewed flight that is called the Demo-1, they will put the Crew Dragon and its massive systems through their paces on the six-day mission. If the plan will be successful, the Crew Dragon will depart from the ISS on March 8 and will splashdown through a parachute at the Atlantic Ocean, according to Yahoo.com.
Also, the same capsule will also fly a "high-altitude abort test" in the coming months. They will be trying out the emergency-escape system. On the other hand, the Demo-2 during which a Crew Dragon will carry two NASA's astronaut to the ISS. It is scheduled to lift off in July.
Furthermore, SpaceX is not the only company that holds a NASA commercial-crew contract. The Boeing is developing its own astronaut taxi. It is called the CST-100 Starliner. The Starliner is scheduled to make its first uncrewed demonstration to the ISS no earlier this April.
