back to article ISS crew fling out arm, grab SpaceX Dragon capsule

The first contracted SpaceX Dragon has successfully docked with the International Space Station after being snagged with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Space X Dragon in Orbit The Dragon berthed with the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node at 14.03 BST (9.03 EDT) today. Around two hours earlier, Japanese flight engineer Aki …

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  1. Zaphod.Beeblebrox
    Thumb Up

    One step closer

    Finally! Now we need another enterprise (no pun intended) to step up and begin competing with SpaceX. We so need for space flight to be not only commercially viable but also affordable for space tourism. Get going building out infrastructure and truly make that first step off of this rock we are inhabiting.

    1. Mystic Megabyte
      Unhappy

      Re: One step closer

      I disagree. Unless someone invents an anti-gravity drive or starts bringing all the waste back to earth intact, rather than dumping it in the ocean. I for one do not want rich peoples turds raining down on me from space. We get enough of that down here already.

      1. Graham Bartlett

        Re: One step closer

        Do the sums for how big the turd would need to be to not be vaporised by the atmosphere. I don't think anyone's planning on putting herds of elephants into space any time soon.

        (And for those on the "I had a curry last night , and boy did that burn up on re-entry" gag - tough titty, I got there first!)

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: One step closer

        They're not dumping it in the ocean. It has multiple experiments on board which need to be analysed. Everything is returned to NASA and SpaceX.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: One step closer

        do not want rich peoples turds raining down on me from space.

        don't worry, the tsa will radiate them so fcsking bad they won't be around long.

      4. Pet Peeve
        Boffin

        Re: One step closer

        If they say "splashdown", I assume that means they're recovering the capsule and the stuff inside, right? Left to its own devices on release, the capsule would burn up like the progress ones did.

        I'm loving what spaceX is doing, it's a shame the satellite launch didn't go off.

      5. Dan Paul
        Devil

        Re: One step closer

        So... Rich Peoples Turds raining down on us... Sorta sounds like the Republican Trickle Down theory or as I like to call it the Trickled ON theory.

        Yes, I agree that I don't like it.

      6. Greg J Preece

        Re: One step closer

        Unless someone invents an anti-gravity drive or starts bringing all the waste back to earth intact, rather than dumping it in the ocean.

        It's going for splashdown because we want it back! If we didn't want it, they'd send it in at a different angle and vapourise it on the way down.

    2. Crisp
      Coat

      Re: One step closer

      This is surely The Enterprise that will usher in a new era of commercial space flight.

      And you can bet your arse that pun was intended.

    3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Unhappy

      Re: One step closer

      "Finally! Now we need another enterprise (no pun intended) to step up and begin competing with SpaceX. We so need for space flight to be not only commercially viable but also affordable for space tourism. "

      That will not happen until 2017 *unless* NASA gets a *much* bigger chunk of cash.

      The Oribital Sciences Corp Antares/Cygnus launch vehicle and capsule are neither crew rated nor designed for re-entry.

      So if any Merkins want that they'd better contact their local Congressmen and Senators and tell them they want the CCiCap programme fully funded at the Presidents requested level.

      1. Beachrider

        Or get the ESA to do it...

        The ESA could certainly pony-up cash to stimulate commercial development. The EU is a MUCH larger economy than the USA!

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Or get the ESA to do it...

          And all the commercial partner would have to do is ensure that an equal proportion of each component was built in all contributing countries and that the first crew were French.

          If you think Nasa is a bureaucratic bunch of pork-barrelled politicians you haven't worked on anything with ESA

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Or get the ESA to do it...

          I can assure you that there is UK kit on board the Dragon.

          UK space missions were outsourced to India a long time ago - we give them far more to "improve basic sanitation" than they spend on the 'luxury' of a space program.

  2. P_0

    I really, really, really wish I worked for SpaceX.

    1. ukgnome
      Joke

      I once worked for a spaced ex

      Well it seemed like work to me!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @ spaced ex

        C-

        poor.

  3. Adair Silver badge
    Pint

    What's with the..

    ...lbs/pounds. This is the 21st Century and high tech; SI units only please unless someone is taking the proverbial, in the pub, or both.

    1. Gordon 10

      Re: What's with the..

      Blasphemy - reg standard units only on these hallowed pages!

    2. Alex Bailey
      Devil

      Re: What's with the..

      Agree completely... I recall reading a story just yesterday when Reg suggested that SI should be the standard. 10 metres and 300 kg please! :)

      1. Alex Bailey
        Devil

        Re: What's with the..

        Oops... 400 kg! Damned conversion errors!

  4. Dom 3

    Units

    What's the pisser here is that largenumbersofpounds is a totally US-centric unit. Old-school UK is cwt and tons.

    1. Stevie

      Re: Units

      US-centric units for a US-built rocket.

      Thrrrrp!

      8op 8ob 8op

      1. Beachrider
        Happy

        I don't see what you are complaining about...

        The metric system has been legal in the USA since 1866 [Metric Act of 1866, Public Law 39-183]. The USA was a signatory of "The conversion of the Metre" in 1875. The American Treasury has placed all measurements officially as metric-equivalence since 1895.

        I certainly think that we covered nearly all the bases 100 years ago!

      2. Steve Hosgood

        Re: Units

        Except that SpaceX works in S.I. units. So (apparently) does NASA these days - see the reports coming off the current Mars rover project. That all seems to be in S.I. too. It's NASA's traditional aerospace partners (Boeing, Northropp, McDonell Douglas etc) who appear to be the U.S.C Luddities.

        SpaceX is *not* one of those.

  5. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    Bad taste in decoration?!

    Shouldn't there be a stencil of Ayn Rand's likeness on the capsule instead of the flag of some failed state?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shouldn't that be...

    the Canadarm2 successfully grabbed the dragon by the shorties?

  7. John 62

    32ft

    That's about 10m

  8. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    Vestibule.

    Seems awfully archaic and somewhat quaint to refer to something on a Space Station as a "vestibule".

    1. The Bobster
      Headmaster

      Re: Vestibule.

      Cupola.

      That is all.

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