It must be a shame for US President, Donald Trump and many of his countrymen: America is to be great again, but still always US to fly astronauts, of all things, with a Russian rocket into space. Since the last use of a space Shuttle in July 2011, the “Soyuz”rockets and capsules are the only means of transport to bring people to the International space station (ISS). This should now be final. This year, in which also the 50. Anniversary of the moon landing will be celebrated, will be flying American astronauts finally back with American rockets into space, had Trump declared at the beginning of February in his state of the Nation.

is planned In the footsteps of the Apollo and space Shuttle

One important step on the way for this Saturday. At 8:48 PM (CET) to withdraw the new space ship “Crew Dragon” of the company SpaceX aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and a unmanned flight test. It launches from the Kennedy Space Center (Florida), where most of the Apollo rockets and the space Shuttle rose into the sky. On Sunday the Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock at the space station and, finally, on 8. March return and parachutes to the Atlantic ocean down to float. This flight and other Tests are successful, want to travel in July for the first time, people with the new space ship. For this purpose, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are provided, which were involved in two Shuttle missions. The first regular flight to the ISS is scheduled for October, the schedule is very athletic.

in addition to SpaceX and Boeing are working on a space ship that may bring astronauts to the ISS. The “CST-100 Starliner” is mounted on a Atlas V rocket. The test flight is scheduled for April, the first manned Mission, at the earliest, start in August.

The “Crew Dragon”capsule is carried by a Falcon 9 rocket into space. In the module under the capsule, there are eight engines, the…photo: SpaceX

That soon the astronauts from American soil to take off from is not, however, Trumps merit. The story begins nearly two decades ago, with the understanding that the space Shuttle can not be used with such low costs, as hoped. In 2006, Nasa launched a program in the organization with substantial financial support of rockets and space ships to develop, to bring supplies and, later, astronauts in the near-earth space, where the ISS orbits. Nasa, in turn, would shop for these services and instead have their strength in the future, missions to destinations more distant as the moon and Mars to prepare.

delays, cost increases, and uncertainty

The developments for the near-earth freight transport first started in 2012, the first Transporter (“Dragon”) the Station. In 2010, then transferred the money to potential providers of astronaut taxis. In 2015, it was hoped, they would resume the flight operation. Until then, the Americans in, the Russians in the “Soyuz would fly with”capsules. The usual delay followed, and cost increases. At the end of two of the company remained with SpaceX and Boeing, left, received a total of $ 3.1 billion or 4.8 billion dollars in the framework of the “Commercial Crew Program” to Nasa, and now at last are clear.

meanwhile, the Tickets for the Soyuz. It was the first $ 50 million, are now $ 80 million for each Seating position due. Currently, Nasa is considering to buy two more Tickets for fall 2019 and spring 2020, if the American ‘space taxi’ service to further delays.

Unmanned

Of bepuppt want to hear these days but no-one something. “It’s great to be back here at the Kennedy Space Center to get this feeling as it is, if from here, the astronauts start. We are ready for the test flight,” said William Gerstenmaier, Nasa is responsible for Manned spaceflight, on the last weekend before the press, after the “Flight Readiness Review” the basic Okay for the flight. “I guarantee that not everything will run perfectly, and I expect that we will learn a lot,” he added. It was “cool” and exactly what his people want. “If a Crew on the flight, it will be safe.”

Because of the seven seats in the Crew Dragon to stay this Time empty, only a doll can. Your Sensors should measure the environmental conditions in the cabin during the flight, so you know what to expect on the real Crew. The interior is kept very cool, with sterile white surfaces and carbon-fiber elements. There are large Touch screens which display all sorts of parameters of the air-conditioning on the trip data up to characteristic sizes of the vessel.

The Crew Dragon capsule has a fold-down control console, which is locked at the Start, and seven passengers of space.Photo: SpaceX/Reuters

The spacecraft has eight thrusters that make up the life-saving system. In case of emergency, ignite and carry the team velvet capsule away from the rocket. “That works both on the floor up to the stage when the second stage is burning,” says Hans king, man, chief engineer of SpaceX. “For the safety of this is a big win.” On the floor of this slingshot is the method the seat has been already tested, in June, the test flight follows.

Risky Docking

Dangerous can, however, be the automatic coupling to the space station, if the vessel is too fast or the lock hits, what is at risk in the worst case, the team in the Station. This also applies to unmanned aircraft next weekend, as the Crew Dragon should already been pair and supply of goods to deliver. “We have looked at all the risks and minimized, it went so well,” says Kirk Shireman, Manager of the ISS programme at Nasa. The decisive factor was whether there was an acceptable risk. “But it is never at Zero,” says Shireman.

basically, it was in the road traffic as well, says former Astronaut Ulrich Walter, today holder of the chair for space engineering at the technical University of Munich. “There are around 3000 Deaths each year on German roads, but I sit in a car.” So, you also accept the risk of space flight, especially if you know the people who prepare it. Crew Dragon as well as the Starliner holds Walter in a good space vehicles. “During the first flight, I would not get in, but the second or third Time already.” In contrast to the spacious, but fragile space Shuttle, the System was the space capsules are very robust and have been proven. “Dragon has completed as a cargo Transporter in addition, many flights to the ISS, and appears to me, therefore, more reliable than the Starliner.”

It was a “good idea”, private companies to include

an Alternative to the Soyuz capsules is necessary, has always been clear: there Should be in the case of the Russian Shuttle is a Problem, would the ISS out of reach. This is what happened in October 2018 after the failed launch of a Soyuz rocket. The error was quickly found, two months later, the next Crew was able to travel to the Station. In the case of a serious Problem, the forced break could be much longer. Crew Dragon and Starliner are, therefore, not only in the national interest of the United States.

The astronauts Doug Hurley and Sunita Williams when the probe is sitting in a “Crew Dragon”capsule.Photo: SpaceX/Nasa

it Was, but – given the delays and high costs – a mistake that the development of the flight opportunities to the ISS to companies to outsource? Space expert Walter answered in the negative. It was a good idea. Even now, when it is clear that, at least, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, not with the near-earth space, and with his moon and Mars ambitions of the Nasa competition is doing. “He is a businessman, he can do what he wants.” In addition, the Chinese were active and planned manned flights – a bit of competition is always good. “With Mars, I can’t imagine, however, that the Nasa and Musk to fly separately from each other there,” says Walter. “One day, will converge the programs of the heavy rocket Space Launch System of Nasa and of the Big Falcon Rocket from SpaceX and we will fly together there.”