NASA published a series of photos showing the arrival of SpaceX's Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft to the International Space Station.
The hatch is open! At 8:07am ET, crew members aboard our orbiting laboratory opened the hatch between @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon spacecraft and the @Space_Station. Watch: https://t.co/oJKHgK8eV7 pic.twitter.com/NKFisziToV
— NASA (@NASA) 3 марта 2019 г.
The astronauts posted videos and photos of themselves with SpaceX's Ripley — a mannequin equipped with numerous sensors to track the ship's progress.
.@AstroAnnimal welcomes humans aboard the first @SpaceX #CrewDragon to visit the station and introduces two special guests, Ripley and Little Earth, ushering in the era of @Commercial_Crew. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/QqzEEgDWzt
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) 3 марта 2019 г.
Ripley was joined in the ship's maiden flight by Little Earth — a plush toy which looks like the Earth with arms and legs.
Dragon 2, also known as Crew Dragon, performed a flawless autonomous docking with ISS. The ship obeyed general commands sent from the station such as "clear to proceed" or "retreat," but otherwise operated on its own. The station did not use its robotic arm to lead the ship into the dock.
Astronauts on the @Space_Station welcomed the @SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in a ceremony aboard the station. NASA astronaut @AstroAnnimal from inside Crew Dragon said, "Welcome to a new era in human spaceflight." pic.twitter.com/bICMS6yjCo
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) 3 марта 2019 г.
This is the first of four test flights that will prove Dragon 2's readiness for manned flights, NASASpaceflight.com reports.
