On May 25, 2012 SpaceX made history when the Dragon spacecraft became the first privately developed vehicle in history to successfully attach to the International Space Station. Previously only four governments — the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency — had achieved this feat. This video features highlights from the mission, including:
May 22: Launch Day: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
May 23: Dragon orbited Earth as it traveled toward the International Space Station.
May 24: Dragon’s sensors and flight systems were subjected to a series of tests to determine if the vehicle was ready to attach to the space station.
May 25: NASA gave Dragon the GO to attempt berthing with the station. Dragon approached. It was successfully captured by the station’s robotic arm.
May 26: US astronaut Don Pettit opened Dragon’s hatch and the astronauts entered.
May 31: After six days at the International Space Station, Dragon departed for its return to Earth, carrying a load of cargo for NASA. SpaceX completed its historic mission when Dragon splashed down safely in the Pacific.
The Dragon mission was anything but routine. It was a nail-biting, exhilarating, exciting, nerve-wracking, but ultimately historic voyage to low-Earth orbit, offering the world a glimpse of a possible commercial future for the exploration of space. As SpaceX CEO would say, this is also the first step in making mankind “multi-planetary.”
Possibly the best parts of the whole video are when you hear and see the SpaceX employees’ reaction to launch and unfurling of the Dragon solar panels — it’s a heartwarming reminder that space exploration isn’t a cold, robotic endeavor; it’s a very human experience.
Filed under: Manned Space Flight
