(Image Source: Boing Boing )

 

BY MADISON MACK

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN


SpaceX’s Dragon capsule will conclude its historic mission to the International Space Station Thursday morning. But the Dragon still faces one last trial, returning home. Fox News has more.

“It’s expected to return to earth early tomorrow morning, carrying some experiments and old equipment. Officials say it should splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about 500 miles southwest of Los Angeles.”

Only one Dragon capsule has returned safely from orbit and that was during a test flight.
But the mission’s manager says his crew is ready. Here’s the quote from Universe Today.

“It’s still a very challenging phase of flight. Only a few countries have done this so far, so we're not taking this lightly.”

The Dragon is unique because it’s designed to shuttle both astronauts and cargo to and from the ISS, unlike foreign cargo capsules, which disintegrate upon reentry after delivering their payload. And as WESH explains , the Dragon can hold a lot of cargo.

“And the crew has put in everything from a big water pump that needs repair from to space suit gloves to research hardware. Other space ships that dock to the station with a crew on board have narrow openings and no room for cargo.”

If the mission is successful SpaceX will fly 12-delivery mission to the orbiting laboratory over the next few years under a $1.6 billion dollar contract with NASA. And as NASA flight director Holly Ridings tells the International Business Times , that cargo is irreplaceable.  

"There's not anything coming home that we couldn't afford to not get back. Certainly that is not the plan."

The Dragon is set to be released from the ISS around 4:30am central time. Want to watch it for yourself ? Follow the link in our transcript section.  (Wired)