Dear readers, thank you for reading my article in your busy schedule, this is an affirmation of my efforts, but also the motivation to continue to create, I would like to extend my most sincere respect to you, I hope to get one of you"Attention"Thank you!Today we decided to write an article about the fundamental differences between the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Soyuz spacecraft.
The Soyuz spacecraft (left) and the Crew Dragon spacecraft (right).
There are a large number of modern manned spacecraft that are already in operation or at an advanced stage of development. Conventionally, they can be divided into two main categories: low-orbit spacecraft and spacecraft for long-distance space flights. Low-orbit spacecraft currently in use include the American Crew Dragon spacecraft and Starliner, the Russian Soyuz MS, the Chinese Shenzhou and the Indian Gajayan. For deep space flights in the coming years, it is planned to use the American Orion spacecraft, one of the Russian versions of the PTK NP OREL, as well as projects from other countries.
But the protagonists of today's article are two low-orbit spacecraft - the "Crew Dragon spacecraft" and the "Soyuz MS".
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced in 2010 a competition to design a low-orbit spacecraft to fly to the International Space Station. The project is aimed at eliminating the need to use the transportation services of the Russian Space Agency and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which appeared after the end of the Space Shuttle program. The Americans want to have their own space carrier, and SpaceX has achieved it with its Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Soyuz spacecraft.
Since the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Soyuz are both low-orbit, they have a lot in common, but there are still more differences. Let's take a look at a few of them. The new "Crew Dragon spacecraft" is much larger than the "Soyuz". The launch weight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is 12 tons, while the Soyuz is almost twice as light, its launch weight does not reach 8 tons, thanks to which the American spacecraft can deliver cargo to the ISS 9 times the mass and can also launch from orbit almost 35 tons of cargo. This is explained by the capabilities of the launch vehicle itself: due to the higher payload of the Falcon 9 rocket, the mass of the Crew Dragon spacecraft may be greater. This is a big advantage of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, as it can launch more cargo or crew into orbit.
Another advantage of the "Manned Dragon" is its spaciousness. The ship can accommodate four people, compared to three on the Soyuz. In addition, there is a so-called rescue mode on board the "Manned Dragon", that is, in the event of an emergency at the station, three more people can be brought in place of cargo, but the condition is that the additional spacesuits and seats are delivered to the space station in advance.
Manned Dragon" ship.
If we talk about the shortcomings of the "Manned Dragon", then the American ship does not have an additional living compartment, which can be used not only for life support of the crew, but also as an airlock chamber, so that spacewalks can be carried out. The Crew Dragon spacecraft does not have such a function, so all life support systems are located in the re-Earth device. In addition, the "Manned Dragon" does not have a separate fairing, it is its own, and the rescue system is implemented in a completely different way.
In addition, the layout of these ships is very different. The Soyuz consists of three modules, while the Crew Dragon spacecraft has only two. Of course, the American "Crew Dragon" has a more modern control system, interface and touch screen. There are currently no such upgrades for Soyuz ships, as they require a major redesign of the ship and a corresponding significant financial investment. Now Roscosmos is investing all its funds in the new PTK NP Orel ship, as the project is considered more promising and in demand.
NASA astronauts board the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
In addition, unlike the Soyuz, the Crew Dragon spacecraft is reusable;The Endeavour and Resilience capsules have been put into orbit twice. At the end of each flight, the heat shield is replaced, as well as the external cargo compartment with solar panels and radiators.
An interesting fact is that the average cost of a seat on a Crew Dragon ship is around $55 million. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) paid Roscosmos almost the same amount, $55.7 million, for the Soyuz spacecraft to transport an American.
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker has been on two spacecraft, and there are differences in her impression, but not very much.
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