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How many seats does this leave them in an emergency? Isn’t there only a Dragon now?

greyface- 4y ago
Vehicles currently docked at the ISS: CRS-26 Cargo Dragon Crew-5 Dragon Cygnus-18 Progress 81 Progress 82 Soyuz MS-22 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/visiting-vehicle-launches-arrivals-and-departures/ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/visiting-vehicle-launches-arriv...
- pacificmint 4y ago
  Could people ride the Cargo Dragon down in an emergency?
  - khuey 4y ago
    Cargo Dragon doesn't have seats, so no.
    - userbinator 4y ago
      It's still pressurised, so they should be able to survive in it.
      - bewaretheirs 4y ago
        But what happens when the capsule hits the water?
        justsomehnguy 4y ago
        Funeral expenses instead of cremation.
        yosito 4y ago
        The same as those old-school wooden roller coasters with no safety-bar. You'd better hold on tight!
        messe 4y ago
        It floats. It’s designed for bringing cargo down as well as up, so it doesn’t experience dangerous levels of deceleration. Theoretically, it could bring back people, although they may need an oxygen tank and a way of strapping themselves down. It probably wouldn’t be a pleasant landing, but it’s unlikely to injure them significantly.
        bierjunge 4y ago
        And even if there is a significant injury risk, it's still better than certain death.
    - samwillis 4y ago
      They could try and move he seats from the duff Soyuz into Crew Dragon if they have suitable fixing points and tools...
- remarkEon 4y ago
  Which of these are return vehicles (human-rated or otherwise)? Just the two Dragons and the Soyuz, right? Edit: neat that I get to call a spacecraft a “Dragon”.
- rippercushions 4y ago
  Only the Crew Dragon and the Soyuz are designed for human spaceflight and capable of returning to Earth. The Cargo Dragon can also land, the rest are all expendable.
- thriftwy 4y ago
  That's a lot - I did not realize that ISS is so busy of a space port.
dylan604 4y ago
Maybe one day, they'll have capsule not to return to earth, but just hang out in orbit to dock with the Chinese station to use as a life boat.
- dotancohen 4y ago
  A station in a different orbital plane would me more difficult to reach than the ocean's surface, so long as an adequate heat shield is provided.
  - messe 4y ago
    I haven’t done the maths, but my gut (and maths degree, but mostly kerbal space program experience), says that even without an adequate heat shield, a significant plane change manoeuvre in LEO would take comparable delta V to slowing to the point where the spacecraft fuselage is sufficient shielding that the astronauts onboard won’t die on re-entry from the heat. That being said, G-forces of such a steep descent would probably kill them instead.

Vehicles currently docked at the ISS: CRS-26 Cargo Dragon Crew-5 Dragon Cygnus-18 Progress 81 Progress 82 Soyuz MS-22 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/visiting-vehicle-launches-arrivals-and-departures/ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/visiting-vehicle-launches-arriv...

pacificmint 4y ago
Could people ride the Cargo Dragon down in an emergency?
- khuey 4y ago
  Cargo Dragon doesn't have seats, so no.
  - userbinator 4y ago
    It's still pressurised, so they should be able to survive in it.
    - bewaretheirs 4y ago
      But what happens when the capsule hits the water?
      - justsomehnguy 4y ago
        Funeral expenses instead of cremation.
      - yosito 4y ago
        The same as those old-school wooden roller coasters with no safety-bar. You'd better hold on tight!
      - messe 4y ago
        It floats. It’s designed for bringing cargo down as well as up, so it doesn’t experience dangerous levels of deceleration. Theoretically, it could bring back people, although they may need an oxygen tank and a way of strapping themselves down. It probably wouldn’t be a pleasant landing, but it’s unlikely to injure them significantly.
        bierjunge 4y ago
        And even if there is a significant injury risk, it's still better than certain death.
  - samwillis 4y ago
    They could try and move he seats from the duff Soyuz into Crew Dragon if they have suitable fixing points and tools...
remarkEon 4y ago
Which of these are return vehicles (human-rated or otherwise)? Just the two Dragons and the Soyuz, right? Edit: neat that I get to call a spacecraft a “Dragon”.
rippercushions 4y ago
Only the Crew Dragon and the Soyuz are designed for human spaceflight and capable of returning to Earth. The Cargo Dragon can also land, the rest are all expendable.
thriftwy 4y ago
That's a lot - I did not realize that ISS is so busy of a space port.

dylan604 4y ago

Maybe one day, they'll have capsule not to return to earth, but just hang out in orbit to dock with the Chinese station to use as a life boat.

dotancohen 4y ago
A station in a different orbital plane would me more difficult to reach than the ocean's surface, so long as an adequate heat shield is provided.
- messe 4y ago
  I haven’t done the maths, but my gut (and maths degree, but mostly kerbal space program experience), says that even without an adequate heat shield, a significant plane change manoeuvre in LEO would take comparable delta V to slowing to the point where the spacecraft fuselage is sufficient shielding that the astronauts onboard won’t die on re-entry from the heat. That being said, G-forces of such a steep descent would probably kill them instead.