1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

This awesome SpaceX simulator lets you pilot the Crew Dragon in space

By

Ahead of its historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 27, SpaceX has launched an online simulator that lets you try your hand at docking the Crew Dragon capsule with the orbiting outpost.

“This simulator will familiarize you with the controls of the actual interface used by NASA astronauts to manually pilot the [Crew Dragon] vehicle to the ISS,” SpaceX said in a tweet.

Recommended Videos

The much-anticipated Demo-2 mission is set to put the U.S. back at the forefront of space exploration as NASA looks ahead to a crewed mission to the moon in 2024. It will also mark the end of U.S. reliance on Russia’s Soyuz program, with NASA sending astronauts into space from American soil for the first time since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.

For SpaceX, its first crewed mission comes after years of successful cargo trips to and from the ISS with the Dragon capsule. Demo-2 will be the latest in a string of achievements for the commercial space company, which also has its eye on even grander goals involving missions far beyond the lunar surface.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be inside the Crew Dragon capsule as it approaches the ISS in a couple of weeks. The pair used the simulator for part of their mission preparations, but they shouldn’t have to call on their intense training to dock the capsule as the process is designed to take place autonomously. Still, if something goes awry, they’ll be ready to step in and take control of the spacecraft.

“Crew Dragon’s system includes touchscreens and physical manual control options with robust fault tolerance built into the system,” NASA said this week. The space agency said the touchscreens can be operated with and without the SpaceX spacesuit gloves, and the control system has been thoroughly tested during hundreds of hours of training and joint simulations with the crew.

Hit the question mark at the top left of the simulator for precise instructions on how to navigate the capsule. Final tip from SpaceX for the crucial docking procedure: “Movement in space is slow and requires patience and precision … successful docking is achieved when all green numbers in the center of the interface are below 0.2.” Got that? Now go ahead and see if you have what it takes.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Watch SpaceX’s Starship burn brightly as it hurtles toward Earth

SpaceX surprised a lot of people on Thursday morning when its mighty Starship rocket managed not to blow up seconds after liftoff.

The Starship -- comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- enjoyed its most successful test flight yet following two short-lived missions in April and November last year.

Read more
SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit on third test flight

SpaceX's mighty Starship rocket has made it into space on its third test flight. The rocket, launched at 9:25 a.m. ET today, March 14, took to the skies over the Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and made it to orbit but was lost before the planned splashdown in the India Ocean.

The vehicle consists of the lower section, the Super Heavy booster, and the upper section, the Starship or ship. The two were stacked together ahead of today's flight and achieved separation a few minutes after launch. This tricky maneuver involves cutting off most of the booster's 33 Raptor engines and disengaging clamps connecting the booster to the ship. The ship then fires its own engines to head onward into orbit.

Read more
Watch SpaceX’s cinematic video previewing Starship megarocket test

After a long wait, SpaceX has finally received permission to launch the third test flight of the Starship, the most powerful rocket ever to have flown.

This means that SpaceX can proceed with its originally stated plan to launch the Starship -- comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- on Thursday, March 14. Digital Trends has all the information you need to watch a live stream of what promises to be a spectacular event.

Read more