Earlier this week , Boeing unveiled a full scale mockup of itsCST-100commercial“space taxi”at the new home of its future manufacturing site at the Kennedy Space Center — the same facility that was used to fix NASA ’s space birdie satellite for missions .
All images : Ken Kramer / Universe Today .
The override finish is resume the United States ’ capability to faithfully set in motion Americans to space from its own dominion as rapidly and expeditiously as possible .
The CST-100crew transporterwas revealed at an invitation only ceremony and media event hold on Monday , June 9th , inside the gleaming white and wholly refurbish NASA processing airdock known as Orbiter Processing Facility-3 ( OPF-3 ) , and attended by Universe Today .
The huge 64,000 substantial ft facility has sat inactive since the shuttles were retired following their terminal escape in July 2011 and which was control by Chris Ferguson , who now serves as director of Boeing ’s Crew and Mission Operations .
Universe Today was invited to be on emplacement at KSC for the big reveal ceremony , headlining US Senator Bill Nelson ( FL ) and Boeing executives admit bird commander Ferguson , for a first hand personal inspection of theprivate spaceshipand also to crawl inside and sit in the seats of the abridgement design to carry American cosmonaut to the High Frontier as shortly as 2017 .
“ Today we celebrate this commercial crew capsule , ” said Sen. Nelson at the unveiling observance . “ This fomite is reasonably fantastic , and the push into space the CST-100 represents is historic . ”
“ We are at the dawn of a newfangled Space Age . It ’s complemented by the commercial-grade activities going to and from the distance station and thengoing outside low Earth orbit[withOrion ] , as we go to the ultimate goal of goingto Mars . There is a bright future ahead . ”
US Senator Bill Nelson ( FL ) and NASA ’s last space bird air force officer inside Boeing ’s CST-100 manned abridgement during first appearance ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida on June 9 , 2014 . Nelson is seated below pilots console and receives CST-100 briefing from Ferguson , who now directs Boeing ’s gang effort . Nelson also wing in space aboard the Columbia shuttle in Jan. 1986 . Credit : Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com .
The aim of developing and building the private CST-100 human rated capsule is to repair America ’s capability to ferry spaceman to low-spirited - world orbit and the outer space place from American soil aboard American Eruca vesicaria sativa , and thereby end our entire dependence on theRussianSoyuz capsule for tag to blank and back .
Boeing ’s philosophy is to make the CST-100 a commercial attempt , as simple and cost effectual as possible for quickly kick start out US human spaceflight efforts . It ’s based on shew applied science drawing on Boeing ’s 100 - class heritage in airmanship and space .
“ The CST-100 , it ’s a simple drive up to and back from space , ” Ferguson told me . “ So it does n’t take to be luxurious . It ’s an ascent and reentry fomite – and that ’s all ! ”
So the CST-100 is basically a cab up and a taxi down from small Earth orbit ( LEO ) . NASA ’s completing human space escape programme involvingthe Orioncrew vehicle is design for abstruse space geographic expedition .
US Senator Bill Nelson ( FL ) addresses crowd at unveiling ceremonial occasion for Boeing ’s CST-100 manned ejector seat to the ISS at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida on June 9 , 2014 . Credit : Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com .
understand my exclusive , in depth one - on - one interviews with Chris Ferguson – America ’s last shuttlecock commander – about the CST-100hereandhere .
The stairway to America ’s succeeding human admission to space is at last literally taking shape from coast to seashore .
Sen. Nelson , a strong space exploration counsellor for NASA and who also flew on a infinite shuttlecock delegation on Columbia back in January 1986 , was the first person to climb the gradation and enter the hatch leading to Boeing ’s staircase to the heavens .
“ This is harder to get in than the shuttle . But the seats are comfortable , ” Nelson secern me as he climbed inside the capsule and maneuvered his elbow room into the core Centennial State - pilots keister .
Nelson receive a personal steer tour of the CST-100 starship from Ferguson .
The capsule measures 4.56 meter ( 175 inches ) in diameter .
The medium , including myself , were also allowed to sit inside the capsule and given elaborate briefings on Boeing ambitious plans for build a simple and cost effective cosmonaut conveyer .
The fomite include five reclining chair seats , a hatching and windows , the pilots control console with several bond Samsung tablet for bunch interfaces with wireless internet , a docking port wine to the ISS and plenteous space for 220 kg of payload storage of an regalia of equipment , gear and science experimentation depending on NASA ’s allotment pick .
The interior features Boeing ’s LED Sky Lighting with an adjustable drab hue based on its 787 Dreamliner aeroplane to raise the ambiance for the work party .
Boeing is among a troika of American aerospace house , includingSpaceXandSierra Nevada Corp , vying for the next unit of ammunition of contract to ramp up America ’s ‘ distance taxi ’ in a public / private partnership with NASA using seed money under the auspices of the bureau ’s Commercial Crew Program ( CCP ) .
Since 2010 , NASA has spent over $ 1.5 billion on the commercial crew effort .
Boeing has received approximately $ 600 million and is on target to complete all of NASA ’s assigned CCP milestone in the current contract bridge phase known as Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative ( CCiCAP ) by mid-2014 .
Boeing ’s CST-100 crew abridgment reveal on June 9th comes just two weeks afterSpaceXCEOElon Musk’sHollywood - esque glitzylive showon May 29th – pull the mantle off his firms“Dragon ” crewvehicle entering into NASA ’s commercial-grade crew program .
NASA official say that the next cycle of contracts aim at construct a human - rate flight vehicle to dock at the ISS by late 2017 .
The next contract phase roll in the hay as Commercial Crew Transportation Capability ( CCtCap ) will result in one or more honor by NASA later on this summertime around August or September .
Sen. Nelson express his hope that the rivalry will continue , since Congress appears likely to lastly okay something near the President ’s CCP funding request of over $ 800 million in the Fiscal 2015 NASA budget .
“ With about $ 800 million , that ’s enough money for NASA to do the contention for at least two and perchance more , ” said Nelson . “ That of grade is up to NASA as they evaluate all the proposals . ”
NASA had hoped to fell the first commercial gang missions in mid-2015 .
But echo CCP support stinger by Congress since its inception in 2010 has already have pregnant delays to the start of the quad hack missions for all three companies contending for NASA ’s commercial crowd contract .
In fact , the schedule has slew already 18 months to the right compared to NASA ’s initial program , thus forcing the agency to buy more Soyuz seats from the Russians at a price of over $ 70 million each .
It was glorious to be seated inside America ’s next spaceship destined to gestate humans .
Boeing ’s CST-100 project engineer Tony Castilleja describes the capsule during a fascinating interview with Ken Kremer / Universe Today on June 9 , 2014 while sitting inside the full scale mockup of the Boeing CST-100 space taxi during launching observance at NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center . Credit : Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com .
The next generation of US human space travel is finally coming to fruition after a long down time .
Read my exclusive new interview with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden explaining the importance of beget Commercial Crew online to expand our reach into spacehere .
It ’s ‘ thumb Up ’ for unveiling of Boeing ’s CST-100 Space Taxi at NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center on June 9 , 2014 . Florida ’s US Sen. Bill Nelson ( allow ) , final birdie commander Chris Ferguson ( now Director of Boeing ’s Crew and Mission Operations , center ) and Ken Kremer / Universe Today pose in front of capsule with stairway leading to spread hatch . deferred payment : Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com .
This articleoriginally appearedat Universe Today and is republished here with permit .
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