SoylentNews

martyb [soylentnews.org] writes:

ED NOTE: Will probably want to schedule this story for Friday. --Bytram

How to watch SpaceX show NASA the Crew Dragon capsule can escape if a launch goes wrong [cnet.com]

Plan for success. Prepare for failure. SpaceX [cnet.com] is setting out to prove that a critical safety system will be able to save astronaut lives in the event of a launch emergency.

The Crew Dragon in-flight abort test [cnet.com] is scheduled for Jan. 18. This is a required step before NASA will allow astronauts to fly to the International Space Station in the SpaceX capsule as part of the Commercial Crew Program [cnet.com].

NASA announced on Tuesday it will livestream the event [nasa.gov], with coverage starting at 4:45 a.m. PT [0745 ET, 1245 UTC] on Saturday. SpaceX and NASA are targeting 5 a.m. PT [0800 ET, 1300 UTC] for the launch, but the test has a four-hour launch window to work with.

Crew Dragon will take a ride on a Falcon 9 rocket, which won't survive the test [cnet.com]. The launch will take place at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, which will allow the rocket to break up over the Atlantic Ocean. It could be quite an eye-opening experience.

[...]If all goes well, the Crew Dragon capsule will separate from the rocket, deploy parachutes and float gently down to the water.

An animation of the in-flight abort (IFA) test is available on YouTube [youtube.com].

Also at Ars Technica [arstechnica.com].

Original Submission