SpaceX Dragon V2 Unveil
Questions on ElonsFAQ asked in this interview (1)
Transcript
0:09Elon MuskLiftoff of the Falcon 9.
0:19Elon MuskThere we have the Dragon in range of the space station.
0:50Elon MuskAll right, welcome everybody to Hawthorne headquarters of Space Exploration Technologies. We're here to Unveil Dragon version 2. Dragon version 1 is right above your heads. In fact, this is the first Dragon spacecraft that came back from orbit.
1:10Elon MuskYou can see the scorch marks on the heat shield, the thrusters that are fired. It's just to real spacecraft. And I'll start off by telling you a little bit about the Dragon version one before showing you Dragon version two.
1:27Elon MuskWhen we first created Dragon version one, we didn't really know how to create a spacecraft. We never designed a spacecraft before. So while there are a lot of interesting technologies in version one, it does have a relatively conventional landing approach.
1:47Elon MuskSo it throws out parachutes to land in the water off the coast of California after it comes back from the space station. And it does have a life support system, but not one that can last for a long time or carry a lot of people.
2:04Elon MuskAnd so it's a great spacecraft and it was a great proof of concept that showed us what it took to bring something back from orbit, which is a very difficult thing to do.
2:17Elon MuskUsually when something comes in from orbital velocity, it burns up in a big fireball. So, but going From Dragon version 1, we wanted to take a big step in technology, really create something that was a step change in spacecraft technology.
2:36Elon MuskAnd some important characteristics of that are the ability to land anywhere on land propulsively. So that's one of the things that Dragon version 2 will be able to do.
2:47Elon MuskSo you'll be able to land anywhere on Earth with the accuracy of a helicopter, which is, I think, something that a spaceship should, a modern spaceship should be able to do.
2:57Elon MuskAnd it'll be capable of carrying seven people, so seven astronauts for several days. It has an improved version of our pica heat shield. And it's all around, I think, really a big leap forward in technology.
3:12Elon MuskIt really takes things to the next level. So with that, let's see the Dragon version one. We're going to do the countdown here. All right, dragon version 2 -10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
3:32Elon MuskIt.
4:04Elon MuskSo let's. We have an animation that shows you how Dragon version 2 will work. So let's roll that animation.
6:09Elon MuskIt.