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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com 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