SpaceX's Dragon: America's Next Generation Spacecraft (Springer Praxis Books) - Softcover

Seedhouse, Erik

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3319215140 ISBN 13: 9783319215143

Publisher: Springer, 2015

Synopsis

Dragon V2 is a futuristic vehicle that not only provides a means for NASA to transport its astronauts to the orbiting outpost but also advances SpaceX’s core objective of reusability. A direct descendant of Dragon, Dragon V2 can be retrieved, refurbished and re-launched. It is a spacecraft with the potential to completely revolutionize the economics of an industry where equipment costing hundreds of millions of dollars is routinely discarded after a single use. It was presented by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in May 2014 as the spaceship that will carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as soon as 2016.

SpaceX’s Dragon – America’s Next Generation Spacecraft describes the extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement that have placed this revolutionary spacecraft at the forefront of the launch industry and positioned it as the precursor for ultimately transporting humans to Mars. It describes the design and development of Dragon, provides mission highlights of the first six Commercial Resupply Missions, and explains how Musk hopes to eventually colonize Mars.

About this title

About the Author:

Seedhouse is a research scientist specializing in environmental life sciences and physiology, the subject in which he obtained his Ph.D. while working for the European Space Agency between 1996 and 1998. In 2009, he was one of the final candidates for selection as an astronaut in the CSA’s Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. He is a certified commercial suborbital astronaut who will fly a payload mission in 2015/2016. Between 2008-2013 he was Director of Canada's Manned Centrifuge and Hypobaric Chamber Operations. He is also the Training Director for Astronauts for Hire. He works as manned spaceflight consultant, triathlon coach, author and public speaker.

Review:

“This book covers recent events in the development of the ‘new space’ commercial market, in particular, the development of the Dragon spacecraft and its associated rockets by industry-leading Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). ... It is recommended for general knowledge, for high school or undergraduate education, for readers interested in the development of the commercial space industry, and dreamers who see the human race migrating beyond low Earth orbit. Summing Up: Recommended. All library collections.” (T. Eastman, Choice, Vol. 53 (10), June, 2016)

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 3319215140
• ISBN 13: 9783319215143
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 205