Episode 623: Escape! Spaceflight Abort Systems from the Launch Pad to Interplanetary Travel

On Sunday, January 19th, 2020, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its newly designed Crew Dragon spacecraft. 84 seconds into flight, at the moment of maximum aerodynamic pressure, the capsule fired its eight SuperDraco thrusters, detaching from the top of the rocket and flying ahead.

Moments after, the Falcon 9 rocket exploded in midair, destroying a completely good rocket, but the capsule was completely safe, jettisoning its trunk and landing gently in the ocean a few minutes later.

Nobody was on board the spacecraft, just a couple of test dummies, but this test proved that in the case of an emergency during the ascent stage fo the mission, Crew Dragon would be able to carry its astronaut crew to safety.

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References:

https://spacenews.com/spacex-performs-in-flight-abort-test-of-crew-dragon-spacecraft/

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/albums/72157649018048375/with/22609781825

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIcDDJyTRI

https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/05/06/spacex-crew-capsule-completes-dramatic-abort-test/

https://spacenews.com/boeing-performs-starliner-pad-abort-test/

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/12/world/soyuz-accident-quietly-conceded.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/space/5-myths-of-challenger-shuttle-disaster-debunked.aspx

https://apnews.com/50c3be84147652b242204463a5b036d5

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/successful-orion-test-brings-nasa-closer-to-moon-mars-missions

https://www.space.com/42319-soyuz-launch-abort-russia-identifies-cause.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/us/challenger-limps-into-a-low-orbit-as-an-engine-fails.html

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-international-space-station-iss-computer-spacewalk-broken-mission-emergency-a7749956.html

http://www.spaceref.com/iss/ops/iss.emergency.ops.pdf

https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap13fj/10day3-free-return.html

https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAC/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inspiration-Mars-2018-Free-Return-Trajectory-Edelman-Hughes-Longuski-Loucks-Carrico-Tito.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6lPMFgZU5Q