US military (USSOCOM) wants SpaceX to create a miniature, battery-powered Starlink dish
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Submitted April 22, 2021 at 09:14AM by CProphet
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Astronauts are about to launch on a used rocket, inside a used spacecraft

This Crew-2 mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center at 09:49 UTC on Friday. Weather conditions appear favourable, but if there is an issue SpaceX, has a backup opportunity on Monday at 08:48 UTC

Article | @SpaceX
@EverythingScience

r/SpaceX Crew-2 Media Thread & Photographer Contest
It's that time again! As per usual, we like to keep things as tight as possible. If you have content you created to share, whether that be images of the launch, videos, GIF's, etc, they go here.Photographer ContestWe are continuing the photographer contest. You can submit your pictures related to this mission. That might be Falcon 9 on the launch pad, a launch picture or a streak shot of a starlink overfly. We will put this thread into contest mode and announce the winner when the droneship arrives back at Port Canaveral.The winner will be allowed to post their picture directly on r/SpaceX and will get a special flair.Rules:If no post reaches more than +10 votes , no winner will be selectedYou need to own the picture you are submitting1 picture per person ( If you want to show more mark the one you are entering with #Contest)If you have any feedback or ideas how to improve this contest, please send us a modmail!As usual, our standard media thread rules apply:All top level comments must consist of an image, video, GIF, tweet or article.If you're an amateur photographer, submit your content here. Professional photographers with subreddit accreditation can continue to submit to the front page, we also make exceptions for outstanding amateur content!Those in the aerospace industry (with subreddit accreditation) can likewise continue to post content on the front page.Mainstream media articles should be submitted here. Quality articles from dedicated spaceflight outlets may be submitted to the front page.Direct all questions to the live launch thread.

Submitted April 23, 2021 at 12:32PM by hitura-nobad
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Building on the legacy of those who came before, Crew-2 is heading to the Space Station!
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 12:23PM by Space_Coast_Steve
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Beautiful crewed launch this morning!
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 02:07PM by RigelSirious
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SpaceX Falcon 9 launches the Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station. Absolutely breathtaking launch!
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 02:46PM by IrrelevantAstronomer
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NASA’s bold bet on Starship for the Moon may change spaceflight forever
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 03:51PM by Luna_8
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A deep dive on why exactly Starship bellyflops (and why so close to the ground)
https://youtu.be/BqJ5bKuApbs

Submitted April 23, 2021 at 07:10PM by everydayastronaut
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Another fine launch from LC-39A is in the books following the liftoff of Crew-2 on April 23
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 11:22PM by adambernnyc
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Starbase Production Diagram - 24th April 2021 https://t.co/tgie4czJrw
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Submitted April 24, 2021 at 02:25AM by brendan290803
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Beam me up to the Space Station [OC]
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Submitted April 24, 2021 at 05:42AM by mdcainjr
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@SpaceX on Twitter: Docking confirmed – second time at the Space Station for this Dragon
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1385886051793735682

Submitted April 24, 2021 at 11:29AM by hitura-nobad
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The Inspiration4 crew watches as Crew-2 launches to the ISS. The next human spaceflight from U.S. soil will be these four launching on Dragon.
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Submitted April 24, 2021 at 02:39PM by johnkphotos
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<b>Would there be a significant downside to using a drag producing device to initiate/perform the belly-to-tail flip instead of using engine thrust?</b>
I am <strong>NOT</strong> suggesting using any kind of parachute or other drag device to substantially arrest Starship's descent. A parachute big enough to substantially arrest a spacecraft the size of Starship would be heavy, expensive, and would likely open up a large chunk of new issues to deal with.But I have often wondered why you couldn't deploy a small drogue chute or drag ribbon as a 'pivot assist' in the moments before landing. SpaceX obviously has the 'falling with style' portion of the re-entry nailed - they have proven that they can descend belly first, using the movable fins with excellent control, and position themselves as required right over the landing zone. They have also proven that they know how to calculate needed thrust settings in order to make an accurate and reasonably soft pinpoint landing at close proximity to the ground . Vast simplification here, but most of the trouble they seem to have had landing Starship has been in the transition from belly-first to tail-first: pressurizing the header tanks in various ways in order to get an initial Raptor ignition that will provide enough thrust so that the fuel will settle in the tanks, ensuring that no vapor bubbles get passed through the turbo-pumps, when the rest of the engines ignite.If they could fire a small drogue chute or other drag producing device from the nose at - say 500-800 meters AGL - as soon as that device deployed, it would produce a pull on the nose that would simultaneously start the desired pivot from horizontal to vertical in a gentle and controlled manner while also providing enough deceleration that the fuel would rather quickly settle to the 'bottom' of the tanks, allowing the Raptor(s) to be ignited with much lower risk of vapor ingestion. Once Starship is within 20 degrees or so of vertical with a Raptor or two lit, SpaceX has all of their experience and code at the ready to either softly land on its own legs, or maneuver to be caught by a tower, with excellent efficiency and accuracy.&#8203;Pro's:I think it would be fairly fuel neutral, or even fuel positive. You wouldn't need to ignite the engines in order to start the pivot - you could wait a couple of seconds until the fuel settles due to the pull from the drag device. It wouldn't take much pull from the drag device to settle the fuel - IiRC the fuel settling operation when in orbit is done with small cold-gas thruster.It would be either neutral or a net positive for systems complexity. Drogue chutes, deployment pyrotechnics, and their associated controls are well understood devices that would likely not introduce significant new complications. And using such a device might allow for removal or scaling down of some of the current equipment installed, such as the CPOVs and header tank system.I don't think that it would be a significant weight penalty. I am talking about a small chute of maybe 3-4 meters in diameter as a SWAG, along with a small launching charge/tube and a cable/attachment hardware.150KG's? 200KG's? And if this system allowed for other more complex hardware to be removed, it might be fully weight neutral. I am -not directly comparing the two systems, but there are existing whole-airframe parachute systems for small aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Cirrus: such systems contain activation hardware, a rocket-assisted launch system to rapidly move the chute away from the airframe to avoid entanglement, the parachute itself, and of course an attachment harness. The manufacturer, BRS states the weight of such a system at around 85 lbs/38KGThe same process, obviously with a larger drag device tailored to the less dense atmosphere, could be used for landing on Mars. It has (more or less) already been done successfully twice for the last two Mars rovers.&#8203;Con's:- The only one I can immediately think of is the chance…

Suit upgrades between Crew 1 and 2
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Submitted April 23, 2021 at 08:56PM by idblue
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Is it just me or does this look like a guy parachuting into a castle
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Submitted April 24, 2021 at 10:51AM by Kuentai
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Thomas Pesquet on Twitter: I happened to spot our 2nd stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, flying in formation with us on a perfectly parallel track, but lower... two tiny objects 200 km above Earth!
https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1386286404745916418

Submitted April 25, 2021 at 02:07PM by Jump3r97
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[Thomas Pesquet] Here's one of the most secret yet useful systems on the spacecraft... our toilet! There's a curtain for privacy, and the rest is really just technicalities... let's just say that the only advantage is the view. Shoutout to its designer SpaceX!
https://twitter.com/thom_astro/status/1386331928031334409?s=21

Submitted April 25, 2021 at 05:10PM by tonybinky20
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Astronaut's signatures on returned Crew 2 booster
https://twitter.com/Kyle_M_Photo/status/1386497125270368259?s=20

Submitted April 26, 2021 at 04:21AM by Kyle_M_Photo
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Akihito Hoshide and Souichi Noguchi have a quick chat and pass a rugby ball from one Crew Dragon Endeavour to Crew Dragon Resilience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IIATU5zy30

Submitted April 26, 2021 at 03:07AM by ergzay
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China’s state rocket company unveils rendering of a Starship look-alike
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Submitted April 26, 2021 at 04:26PM by SliceofNow
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