By Associated Press
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Space station astronauts floated into the Dragon on Saturday, a day after its heralded arrival as the world's first commercial supply ship.
NASA astronaut Donald Pettit, the first one into the docked capsule, said it reminded him of the cargo capability of his pickup truck back home in Houston.
'The smell inside smells like a brand new car,' Pettit reported. The compartment was brilliantly white and, he noted; clean, no dirt or other particles appeared to be floating around.
Scroll down for video of launch
Success: International Space Station Commander Oleg Kononenko, right, and flight engineer Don Pettit signal a successful opening of the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft from inside the new module in this photo from NASA on Saturday
Mission accomplished: The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is seen, top, after Dragon was grappled by the Canadarm2 robotic arm and connected to the International Space Station on Friday
To protect against possible debris, Pettit wore goggles, a mask and a caver's light as he slid open the hatch of the newest addition to the International Space Station.
The complex sailed 250 miles above the Tasman Sea, just west of New Zealand, as he and his crewmates made their grand entrance.
'This event isn't just a simple door opening between two spacecraft - it opens the door to a future in which U.S. industry can and will deliver huge benefits for U.S. space exploration,' the Space Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group, said in a statement.
Going in: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, left, and Space Station Commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia open the hatch of the SpaceX Dragon
The California-based SpaceX - formally Space Exploration Technologies Corp. - is the first private company to send a vessel to the space station.
It's run by Elon Musk, a billionaire who helped create PayPal and founded the electric car company Tesla Motors.
NASA is handing over orbital delivery work to American business in order to focus on bigger and better objectives, such as getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars.
Impressive: Pettit used the space station's robot arm to snare the unmanned capsule which is now carrying up to 1,400 pounds worth of provisions
Breakthrough: International Space Station Commander Oleg Kononenko works inside the newly opened SpaceX Dragon. The spaceship - 19 feet tall and 12 feet wide - was launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
The space agency hopes astronaut ferry trips will follow soon; SpaceX contends its Dragons could be carrying space station astronauts up and down within three or four years.
Flight controllers were ecstatic to be at the cusp of this new commercial era.
'It's great to see you guys inside Dragon. It looks great,' Mission Control radioed.
The six space station residents have until the middle of next week to unload Dragon's groceries and refill the capsule with science experiments and equipment for return to Earth.
Pioneering: The California-based SpaceX is the first private company to send a vessel to the space station
Unlike all the other cargo ships that fly to the orbiting lab, the Dragon is designed for safe re-entry. It will be freed on Thursday and aim for a Pacific splashdown.
Until now, only major governments have launched cargo ships to the space station. Russia, Japan and Europe will keep providing supplies, and Russia will continue to sell rocket rides to U.S. astronauts until SpaceX or other companies are ready to take over. Several American companies are competing for the honor.
The Dragon - 19 feet tall and 12 feet wide - was launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Pettit used the space station's robot arm to snare the unmanned capsule on Friday.
It carried up 1,000 pounds of food, clothes, batteries and other provisions. It will bring back 1,400 pounds' worth of gear.
Watch launch here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2147981/SpaceX-Falcon-9-launch-First-private-commercial-flight-takes-Cape-Canaveral-International-Space-Station.html
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As fake as the moon landing. Pitiful the sheeple are falling for it. - euro, land, 27/5/2012 11:08 ======== Idiot
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As fake as the moon landing. Pitiful the sheeple are falling for it.
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mm, fort worth texas; "Success happens when the government stays out of something" That's coming from a guy who lives in the state that gets the forth most government subsidy handouts in the US and has the worst high school drop out rate in the country. Since I live in one of the states that pays far more in federal taxes than we get back in government handouts, I wouldn't mind it if you put a little action behind your convictions. How about less government involvement in the matter of reallocating my income to your grasping state, and a little more government involvement in your pitiful education record. At least then you might be able to send us presidential candidates that can speak in full sentences. - resident, somewhere in America, 27/5/2012 01:34 --------------------Mmmmm could be a French/German person addressing a Spanish/Italian person sometime in the future.
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Well Done SpaceX Fantastic achievement.
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"...NASA is handing over orbital delivery work to American business in order to focus on bigger and better objectives, such as getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars..." 'handing it over' so they can 'focus'??? - Sol, CT USA, 26/5/2012 15:18 Several 'things' have been done for pure exploration. Not all of them have been quite so large as the Shuttles, so they miss out on a lot of attention. Not all of them are even 'nuts bolts' even, but squeezing more exploration out of old projects. Note the HD Res shots sent back from faraway moons worlds.
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1,400 pounds' worth of provisions (picture 4) doesn't sound like much. I spend about that for half a dozen Tesco grocery deliveries. - Pisces, London, England, 26/5/2012 20:17 ------Another one of s'glass half empty' posts we see so often on these pages, obviously with absolutely no background knowledge of this six year old project whatsoever.......Not only does it carry substantially more payload than the Russian Soyuz capsule, at a fraction of the price per kilo, but has been designed from the outset to carry seven astronauts - the same as the shuttle.
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That new car smell comes from phlates - a rabid carcinogen.
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mm, fort worth texas; "Success happens when the government stays out of something" That's coming from a guy who lives in the state that gets the forth most government subsidy handouts in the US and has the worst high school drop out rate in the country. Since I live in one of the states that pays far more in federal taxes than we get back in government handouts, I wouldn't mind it if you put a little action behind your convictions. How about less government involvement in the matter of reallocating my income to your grasping state, and a little more government involvement in your pitiful education record. At least then you might be able to send us presidential candidates that can speak in full sentences.
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"...NASA is handing over orbital delivery work to American business in order to focus on bigger and better objectives, such as getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars..." 'handing it over' so they can 'focus'??? They haven't DONE ANYTHING about lifting supplies and personnel since they retired the shuttles and rolled over for the Russians to charge the US as much as they want... Better they 'keep it local' and spend the money in-country.
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Not exactly the Nostromo is it? Couldn't they have made it at least big enough to carry a full pallet load?
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