Here’s why the loss of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is a big deal for NASA
The loss of today’s Falcon 9 rocket is a critical one for NASA.
The vehicle carried 4,000 pounds in supplies, from food and water to about 70 scientific experiments to hardware for the space station itself.
Among that hardware was the first of two International Docking Adapters, designed to make it possible for commercial crew vehicles being developed by SpaceX and Boeing to dock to the space station.
This 1,000-pound adapter was due to be installed during a future spacewalk to allow SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100 to begin docking as early as late 2016 or early 2017. So not only did one of NASA’s commercial crew providers experience a serious problem today, the agency lost a critical piece of commercial crew hardware.
Read more: http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2015/06/heres-why-the-loss-of-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-is-a-big-deal-for-nasa/#22787101=0
The International Docking Adapter at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA)
Cross-posted in the General Discussion forum.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I know it was posted a while ago but as I now work on this project I felt it was important to clear up the factually incorrect statements.
The IDA1 was lost on CRS-7 but there is a second IDA scheduled to be launched on CRS-9. CRS-9 has a scheduled launch window of Dec 2015 but is on hold pending the investigation of CRS-7. Also NASA had purchased components for a third IDA to use as a ground side spare. It hasn't been assembled yet (more flexible is kept as spare parts) but it may end up being assembled and launched on a future CRS to replace IDA1. There is no need for more than one IDA on the station the use of two is just standard redundancy.
Lastly the statement that the IDA is needed to "dock" is accurate but misleading. The Dragon module from CRS-6 is currently berthed with the ISS using the SBA (standardized berthing adapter) so the delay doesn't jeapordize any future CRS missions. "Berthing" involves the ISS robotic arm to to connect the module to the ISS while docking means the spacecraft can connect or disconnect independently.
The one major limitation of berthing over docking is that it that the module can't be used as the ISS lifeboat because in an emergency it can't separate quickly by automated spacecraft control. Still the Dragon CRS is not crew rated. It won't be until the Dragon V2 that it will carry crew and serve as the lifeboat. That isn't scheduled to happen until 2017 with manned test flight in June and first crew rotation mission in Q4.
