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UpClose view into the rear of SpaceX astronaut recovery
ship GO Searcher with Crew Dragon mock-up in Port Canaveral, FL in March 2019. The capsule is seen here atop the deck with hoisting crane that
will pluck the real Crew Dragon aboard after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns upon return
from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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PORT CANAVERAL, FL – The ‘GO Searcher’ ocean going maritime vessel is a recovery ship leased by SpaceX to haul the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and astronaut crews out of the water after it departs the International Space Station (ISS), re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean.
GO Searcher, which is based in Port Canaveral, Florida, is currently enroute to the splashdown zone following the undocking of the maiden SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from the ISS early this morning at 2:31 a.m. EST.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting splashdown for 8:45 a.m. EST Friday morning, March 8, some 200 miles offshore of Florida’s east coast.
However the precise orbital return track and location of the splashdown zone has not been released. This is in stark contrast to NASA’s practices during the 30 year long Space Shuttle program.
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Over head view of SpaceX astronaut recovery ship GO Searcher with Crew
Dragon mock-up and helipad in Port Canaveral, FL in March 2019. The capsule
is seen here atop the deck with hoisting crane that will pluck the real Crew
Dragon aboard after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns upon return from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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SpaceX, NASA and the GO Searcher crew have been practicing hoisting
capsules holding NASA astronaut crews on deck after their fiery return from space
and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean – using a mockup Crew Dragon.
Enjoy our Space UpClose photos of the ‘GO Searcher’ and Crew Dragon mock up taken in recent days and since its arrival on Jan. 19.
Enjoy our Space UpClose photos of the ‘GO Searcher’ and Crew Dragon mock up taken in recent days and since its arrival on Jan. 19.
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Over head view of SpaceX astronaut recovery ship GO Searcher with Crew
Dragon mock-up and helipad in Port Canaveral, FL in March 2019. The capsule is seen here atop the deck with hoisting crane that
will pluck the real Crew Dragon aboard after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns upon return
from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon lifted off on its maiden
test flight dubbed Demo-1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:49 a.m. EST (0749 GMT) Saturday from historic Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center in Florida.
‘GO Searcher’ has been upgraded with a crane to enable
recovery of the commercially built SpaceX crew capsule by hoisting the
spaceship from the waters off Florida’s east coast launch base at NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center under a normal scenario.
A helipad and medical treatment facility were also installed on board as part of extensive modifications to the ship.
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UpClose view into the rear of SpaceX astronaut recovery
ship GO Searcher with Crew Dragon mock-up in Port Canaveral, FL in March 2019. The capsule is seen here atop the deck with hoisting crane that
will pluck the real Crew Dragon aboard after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns upon return
from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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“When astronauts splash down into the ocean
after their journey to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon
spacecraft, recovery teams must be able to transport them to land quickly,” according
to NASA officials.
“In the unlikely event of an astronaut medical emergency, SpaceX has outfitted its recovery ship, GO Searcher, with a medical treatment facility and a helipad in the center of the vessel.”
“In the unlikely event of an astronaut medical emergency, SpaceX has outfitted its recovery ship, GO Searcher, with a medical treatment facility and a helipad in the center of the vessel.”
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SpaceX Crew Dragon mock-up
sails into Port Canaveral, FL atop the astronaut recovery ship GO Searcher on Jan. 16, 2019. The capsule is seen here atop the deck with hoisting
crane on Jan. 19 that will pluck it aboard after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns and
return from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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Crew Dragon was built under contract to NASA as part of the
agency’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) initiative to restore America’s
capability to launch astronauts to the ISS and end our sole reliance on the Russian
Soyuz crew capsule for the first time since NASA’s space shuttle orbiters were
retired more than seven years ago in 2011.
Back in November 2018 SpaceX “completed helicopter landing and patient loading rehearsals on the ship, practicing how the helicopter will pick up astronauts and fly them to a nearby hospital.”
Back in November 2018 SpaceX “completed helicopter landing and patient loading rehearsals on the ship, practicing how the helicopter will pick up astronauts and fly them to a nearby hospital.”
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SpaceX Crew Dragon mock-up sails into Port Canaveral, FL
atop the astronaut recovery ship GO Searcher on Jan. 16, 2019. The capsule is seen
here atop the deck with hoisting crane on Jan. 19 that will pluck it aboard
after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns and return from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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SpaceX Crew Dragon mock-up sails into Port Canaveral, FL
atop the astronaut recovery ship GO Searcher on Jan. 16, 2019. The capsule is seen
here atop the deck with hoisting crane on Jan. 19 that will pluck it aboard
after Atlantic Ocean splashdowns and return from the ISS. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The recovery and medical team will include doctors
and paramedics “to provide the best possible care to astronauts on the ship,
in-flight, and get them safely to a hospital” if needed.
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Dr. Ken Kremer of Space UpClose interviewed live on BBC
World News about the successful SpaceX Crew Dragon launch and implications for
future spaceflight. Credit: BBC/Space UpClose
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Watch for Ken’s ongoing onsite mission coverage
of SpaceX Demo-1 mission at the Kennedy Space Center.
Watch for Ken’s continuing
onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and
Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer
– email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC
area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space
topics.
………….
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Learn more about the upcoming/recent ULA Delta 4 WGS-10, SpaceX Demo-1, Falcon 9 Nusantara Satu launch, USAF GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-16 launch
to ISS, NASA missions, ULA Atlas &
Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville,
FL, evenings:
Mar
9/12: “ULA Delta 4 WGS-10
launch, SpaceX Falcon 9 Demo-1 and Nusantara Satu launch, Dragon CRS-16 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX
Falcon GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, upcoming SpaceX
Falcon 9 USAF GP3 3-01, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX
Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity
and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto, Kuiper Belt and more,” Kennedy Space
Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings.
Photos for sale
Ken’s
upcoming talks:
Apr 3: “Exploring
Mars; The Search for Life & A Journey in 3-D.” 7 PM, Lawton C
Johnson Middle School, Summit, NJ. Open to the public. Details upcoming.
Latest results from Mars & Ultima Thule
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