At 9:56am, while arcing over Australia, SpaceX Dragon successfully grappled and docked to the International Space Station
Like I’m sure a lot of my readers were, I spent a remarkably unproductive morning staring in rapt attention at the live feed of NASA’s Mission Control and SpaceX’s Mission Control rooms as they docked the SpaceX Dragon to the ISS for the first time. This is a historic event which points the way to a rapidly-increasing presence in space for humanity, as there is now financial incentive for private companies to go out there and stake their claims. And yes, I realize that sounds very Republican. But our country’s history has always been an equal mix of public and private effort, as this event typifies.
Such a momentous occasion required at least a few screen shots, which I decided to lay out for you here:
SpaceX Dragon, about an hour away from docking with the ISS
By this point, the control room’s getting a bit restless, as the ISS is approaching the night side of the Earth, where docking could prove difficult.
The ISS and SpaceX Dragon are passing over the horizon and into night.
The grappling arm is moving and docking has begun.
This is a view from the grapple-mounted camera used to steer the grapple onto Dragon
The grapple arm begins to move into position
Another view of the docking procedure, this time with the info Mission Control is looking at
Just a meter and a half or so to go before making connection
The arm is practically on the docking port
At 9:56am, while arcing over Australia, SpaceX Dragon successfully grappled and docked to the International Space Station
Owner, developer, editor of DragonFlyEye.Net, Tom Belknap is also a freelance journalist for The 585 lifestyle magazine. He lives in the Rochester area with his wife and son.
2 replies on “Docking in Photos: Screen caps of the docking of SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station”
Why aren't there more pictures (or video captures) showing the Dragon capsule docked with the ISS? All I've seen is exactly one pic. Why not swing the grappling arm out and aim it back at the docking module so we get a betterdifferent view?
Well, they basically went through docking and checks, then the live feed was over. Honestly, everything costs money and NASA's not in a position to spend extra for us to get nice screen caps! Maybe they will show more in the coming weeks and months. Remember: this isn't their commercial program, its SpaceX's.
2 replies on “Docking in Photos: Screen caps of the docking of SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station”
Why aren't there more pictures (or video captures) showing the Dragon capsule docked with the ISS? All I've seen is exactly one pic. Why not swing the grappling arm out and aim it back at the docking module so we get a betterdifferent view?
Well, they basically went through docking and checks, then the live feed was over. Honestly, everything costs money and NASA's not in a position to spend extra for us to get nice screen caps! Maybe they will show more in the coming weeks and months. Remember: this isn't their commercial program, its SpaceX's.