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SpaceX simulation video shows how the first Crew Dragon mission will look – Daily Mail

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SpaceX simulation video shows how the first Crew Dragon mission will look when the capsule is ‘physically ready’ to launch to the International Space Station in 2020

  • SpaceX shared a simulation video of the Crew Dragons first flight to space
  • The capsule is set to take a human crew to the International Space Station 
  • Falcon 9 rocket will launch the capsule into orbit where the two will separate
  • The capsule will then glide to the ISS where it will make a few trips around Earth 
  • CEO Elon Musk said the capsule will be ready in Feb., then go through tests 

The mission may not kickoff until next year, but SpaceX has shared a simulated video of the first Crew Dragon trip to the International Space Station.

The clip highlights the crew boarding the capsule, the countdown until blast off and the separation from the Falcon 9 rocket before it attaches to the American space station. 

CEO Elon Musk noted that the Crew Dragon capsule should be ‘physically ready’ in February, but added it will probably take a few more months to complete critical safety tests.

The Crew Dragon was destroyed in April during a failed test during activation of the SuperDraco propulsion system.

Now, Musk is hoping to gain some excitement before revealing the new capsule that is set to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020.

Scroll down for videos 

The mission may not kickoff until next year, but SpaceX has shared a simulated video of the first Crew Dragon trip to the International Space Station

The two-minute video begins with the crew boarding the capsule, the Falcon thrusters ignite and shoot the rocket towards space.

Once the rocket hits orbit, the capsule breaks away and glides towards the ISS.

Following a few trips around Earth, the Dragon heads safely back to Earth.

Last month, SpaceX shared a video to its Twitter account showing the Dragon capsule completing a crucial test of its parachute.

In the test, the capsule was dropped from a plane and landed safely using only three of its four parachutes.

The clip highlights the crew boarding the capsule, the countdown until blast off and the separation from the Falcon 9 rocket before it attaches to the American space station

The two-minute video begins with the crew boarding the capsule, the Falcon thrusters ignite and shoot the rocket towards space

The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the capsule into orbit before disconnecting and falling back to Earth

The drop was meant to simulate Crew Dragon’s ability to navigate Crew Dragon to Earth in the event that one of its four main parachutes failed to work.

According to SpaceX, the test went off without a hitch 13 consecutive times.

For SpaceX the test marks a significant step after an explosion during tests of Crew Dragon in April that engulfed the empty capsule in fire and smoke.

The incident was set off by a leaking component and completely destroyed the capsule – a glitch that has contributed to SpaceX’s delayed timeline for Crew Dragon, which it’s developing for NASA.

Once the rocket hits orbit, the capsule breaks away and glides towards the ISS

Following a few trips around Earth, the Dragon heads safely back to Earth. Last month, SpaceX shared a video to its Twitter account showing the Dragon capsule completing a crucial test of its parachute

CEO Elon Musk noted that the Crew Dragon capsule should be ‘physically ready’ in February, but added it will probably take a few more months to complete critical safety tests

Those delays recently caught the ire of NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine who held a joint conference with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after maligning the company on Twitter.

‘I have been focused on returning to realism when it comes to costs and schedules,’ said the NASA Administrator.

‘So I was signaling – and I haven’t done it just to SpaceX but to all of our contractors – that we need more realism built into the development timelines.’

WHAT IS SPACEX’ CREW DRAGON CAPSULE?

The March 2 test, the first launch of U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil in eight years, will inform the system design and operations (Artist’s impression)

The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. 

The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland. 

It also has an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that provides a comfortable and safe environment for crew members. 

Crew Dragon’s displays will provide real-time information on the state of the spacecraft’s capabilities, showing everything from Dragon’s position in space, to possible destinations, to the environment on board.  

Those CRS-2 Dragon missions will use ‘propulsive’ landings, where the capsule lands on a landing pad using its SuperDraco thrusters rather than splashing down in the ocean. 

 That will allow NASA faster access to the cargo returned by those spacecraft, and also build up experience for propulsive landings of crewed Dragon spacecraft.

 

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The body of a Ugandan Olympic athlete who was set on fire by her partner is received by family

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.

Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.

She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.

Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.

“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.

It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.

Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.

Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.

Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.

“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.

He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.

Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted marches by ordinary citizens in towns and cities this year.

Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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The ancient jar smashed by a 4-year-old is back on display at an Israeli museum after repair

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.

Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.

Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.

The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.

The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.

It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.

Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.

Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.

Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.

Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.

Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.

The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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B.C. sets up a panel on bear deaths, will review conservation officer training

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VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.

Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”

Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.

“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.

B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.

Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.

Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.

Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.

“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”

Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”

“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.

Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.

“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.

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