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back to article After reusing a rocket, SpaceX tries reusing Dragon capsule for ISS resupply

On Thursday afternoon, SpaceX is planning to relaunch a Dragon supply capsule that already spent a month in space nearly three years ago. The Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-11) will, weather permitting, blast off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1755 EDT (2155 UTC) with nearly 6, …

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  1. Ugotta B. Kiddingme
    Pint

    I just want to tell you [Musketeers]

    good luck, we're all counting on you.

    6 0 Reply
  2. Vulch

    Delay if delayed

    The reason for the possible two day delay if tonights launch doesn't happen is down to the departure of one of the Soyuz currently at the ISS being due to return with its crew on Friday.

    0 0 Reply
    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Delay if delayed

      From a comment on Ars:

      Besides weather consideration, 48-hour recycle is necessary for Dragon CRS missions because some "late load" cargo items cannot sit in the spacecraft for an extra day and must be replaced.

      3 0 Reply
  3. Vector

    FTFY

    "Recycling kit to lower costs is key to Musk's everyone's goals"

    If we're gonna make space travel viable, we've got to be able to reuse launch vehicles. Imagine if they had to build a new plane every time you wanted to fly someplace!

    6 0 Reply
  4. Flakk
    Coat

    A test to see how colloids – small particles in suspension – separate out in microgravity.

    Excellent. This will help shape our understanding of how to properly make a roux in low Earth orbit.

    15 0 Reply
    1. EddieD
      Reply Icon

      Stuff making a roux - I'm British and I'll want a decent cuppa when I'm in LEO, and if my milk separates, there will be hell to pay.

      0 0 Reply
  5. Daedalus

    I can see where this is going

    One day the supply ship will appear by the space station, with different coloured panels all over it, one light not working and a stale doughnut in the dashboard.

    10 0 Reply
    1. Jason Hindle
      Reply Icon

      Re: I can see where this is going

      You left out the furry dice.

      4 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I can see where this is going

        ...and the Go-Faster stripes.

        1 0 Reply
        1. WonkoTheSane
          Reply Icon

          Re: I can see where this is going

          "...and the Go-Faster stripes."

          That's duct tape.

          4 0 Reply
        2. Ochib
          Reply Icon

          Re: I can see where this is going

          And the tabloid newspaper on the dashboard

          0 0 Reply
          1. imanidiot Silver badge
            Reply Icon

            Re: I can see where this is going

            And the windows vibrating from the massive subwoofers installed in the parcel shelf blasting out some form of music that seems to consist entirely of bass thumps.

            3 0 Reply
    2. John G Imrie
      Reply Icon

      You came here in that?

      You are braver than I thought.

      5 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        And one day...

        Fred, those two losers in the ancient SpaceX rig are back. Don't know how they got the funds to fix it. And they got some ancient old dude with 'em too. "Harriman" sombody. Looks like he took the liftoff pretty hard...

        1 1 Reply
  6. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    a variety of gravitational and lighting situations

    Variable lighting situations, check. Variable gravity situations...wait...what?

    Are they growing them in centrifuges or did someone invent artificial gravity and I missed the memo?

    1 0 Reply
    1. Chemical Bob
      Reply Icon

      Re: a variety of gravitational and lighting situations

      There is no such thing as gravity, the Earth sucks.

      The moon sucks less...

      6 0 Reply
  7. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Unhappy

    The real question if they are reused capsules

    Will they bid lower for the next round of CRS?

    Which they should if this works out and NASA should request.

    1 0 Reply
    1. Kharkov
      Reply Icon
      Angel

      Re: The real question if they are reused capsules

      Bid lower? Why? They should keep the bid at the same value, lower their costs through reuse of kit and enjoy the profits.

      SpaceX has pioneered reuse and deserve to profit thereby. It's time for others to do the same thing now... or else see SpaceX develop a near-monopoly on the launch market. I'm sure the US would guarantee two or three launches a year at almost any cost just to keep other launch companies afloat but SpaceX is really likely to be the elephant in the room come the 2020's.

      2 0 Reply
  8. Blergh

    Is there ever not a delay?

    It seems to me that there is always a delay to sending one of these rockets up. Is there ever not a delay or are they only reported on if there is a delay?

    0 0 Reply
    1. imanidiot Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Is there ever not a delay?

      There have been plenty of launches right on schedule, but a launch getting delayed can happen due to such a massive array of things that it's highly likely for it to happen atleast once to any given launch. In fact, it's sometimes a miracle we get anything up there in the first place.

      0 0 Reply
  9. Sgt_Oddball
    Coat

    Clean underwear?

    You mean to tell me they can recycle water, make an espresso and do mind bogglingly complex experiments but can't get a dry cleaning machine to work space?

    Humm.. maybe thats why 70's scifi always made the jumpsuits look like they were wipe clean....

    (Coat because I like mine nice and clean me)

    0 0 Reply
    1. imanidiot Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Clean underwear?

      They probably could, but the weight and power requirements of putting such a machine up there so far make it more efficient to just send up clean suits up every now and then and dump the dirties overboard to burn up in the atmosphere on the next Progress launch.

      0 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Clean underwear?

      Why bother with laundry? the Space station is warm, just don't wear clothes! much cheaper, and less weight!

      0 0 Reply
      1. imanidiot Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Clean underwear?

        @AC, they do live streams from the ISS. (probably) Nbody wants to see scientists junk flapping in 0G.

        1 0 Reply
      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Clean underwear?

        "the Space station is warm, just don't wear clothes! "

        Ben Elton once made a joke about parents coming for tea in their son's student accommodation. Then someone notices the inevitable pubic hair in the butter. Unless the astronauts are going to be smoothies then that could also clog up equipment in the ISS.

        You can always tell which IT homeworkers don't bother to dress when working - their keyboards accumulate a lot of short curly hairs under the keys.

        Pubic hairs are unusually short-lived - that's why you don't get Methuselah beards down your trouser legs. IIRC about 3 months for a life cycle - whereas a hair on our heads lasts up to seven years.

        1 0 Reply
        1. Kharkov
          Reply Icon
          Trollface

          Re: Clean underwear?

          If you mention Ben Elton then we all need this...

          "The bar-of-soap-seeking pubic hair is a wonder of existence."

          Ben Elton, late 80's, in a radioactive suit.

          0 0 Reply

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