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This is the new millennium of spacecraft-the X-38.This ship is 28.5 feet long and 14.5 feet wide. A car is about 14 feet long and 5 feet wide. This spacecraft would be the first new spacecraft in 20 years designed to return humans from space. What sets this apart from other spacecrafts is that it is cheap because of the technology used to build it. The X-38 was estimated to cost $2 billion but it was built for only $90 million.
PurposeNASA plans to use the X-38 as the International Space Station crew return vehicle [CRV]. A CRV is a ship that returns astronauts to Earth. The X-38 will also be a lifeboat for the International Space Station. One day the X-38 could be used as a crew travel vehicle taking the astronauts to the moon and other places. The current CRV for the international space station is the Russian Soyoz. The Russian Soyoz currently holds 3 people. Therefore only 3 people can go on the International Space Station at a time. The X-38 holds 7 people, increasing the number of people that can be aboard the International Space Station. They will only put astronauts on the International Space Station equal to the number of people that can fit in the CRV. It is important that all the astronauts and cosmonauts can return to Earth safely.
How It Lands
The X-38 lands a little differently than other spacecraft. Instead of rolling to safety, the X-38 skids to a stop. It also uses a parachute to slow it down. The crew inside does not land the X-38. Mission Control lands it through a computer. The X-38 is designed to handle medical emergencies so it can return to Earth automatically if the crew members are injured and unable to fly it. |
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Space Exploration of the Past, Present, and Future
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