The unmanned Dragon crew space capsule has made a successful landing on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA and the space company Space X announced on Sunday.
Dragon was launched into space on the Falcon 9 rocket from the United States on Saturday and it is the first time it has landed on the ISS. The space trip is a test trip and on board Dragon there is only the Ripley doll wearing a spacesuit, covered with sensors and wearing a spacesuit. The space trip is a test trip and if all goes as planned, it will lead to manned trips with living people later this year.
”I almost thought we were going to fail,” said an obviously relieved Elon Musk after the launch.
He himself had estimated that the launch had around a ten percent chance of success.
”"I'm a little emotionally exhausted. This has been really nerve-wracking, but it worked," he says.
The Ripley doll is named after Sigourney Weaver's heroine in the "Alien" films, and is said to bear a striking resemblance to the David Bowie-inspired Starman.
Despite the dock. Astronauts Anne McClain (USA), Oleg Kononenko (Russia) and David Saint-Jacques (Canada), stationed on the ISS, are still expected to have planned a welcoming ceremony for Dragon and Ripley.
Source: TT
