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SpaceX blasts Dragon capsule away from pad, testing rescue system
SpaceX blasts Dragon capsule away from pad, testing rescue system
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER – With the prospect that one day astronauts may be aboard as something goes terribly wrong with a rocket, SpaceX jettisoned its Dragon capsule from a launch pad Wednesday, sending it to safety thousands of feet into the air, then parachuting to a gentle splashdown.
The test demonstrated the spacecraft’s ability to get away from trouble in a hurry, powered by engines within the capsule that shot the Dragon 5,000 feet from the launch pad in seconds.
"With this test, if all goes well, we'll be one step closer to flying again," NASA commentator Mike Curie said in advance, referring to the fact that American rockets have not taken astronauts into space since the space shuttle program ended in 2011.
A little more than a minute later it splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean about a mile off the coast. Along the way, the capsule jettisoned its trunk stage, which fell into the ocean.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/go-for-launch/os-spacex-blasts-dragon-capsule-in-abort-test-20150506-post.html
