The autonomous maneuver took place on Wednesday, April 27, and marked the arrival of SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts at the orbital post after a 16-hour journey from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Video of Dragon’s Draco propellers moving the spacecraft closer to @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/0zBNYgAcDb – SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 28, 2022 “The Dragon spacecraft is equipped with 16 Draco propellers used to guide the spacecraft during the mission, including take-off / perimeter maneuvers, trajectory adjustment and stop control,” SpaceX said on its website, adding that each is capable of to produce 90 pounds of power. in the vacuum of space. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins traveled to the Dragon Crew with Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency. Shortly after the video was taken, the spacecraft, named Freedom by the crew, successfully moored at the ISS. A little later, Crew-4 astronauts went through the connecting hatch to enter the facility and meet the current residents for the first time. The Crew Dragon will remain anchored on the space station until the end of the Crew-4 mission, which is scheduled to last about six months. After that, the astronauts will re-enter the capsule and disconnect, with the Draco engines reactivated to help bring the spacecraft and astronauts safely home. The SpaceX capsule also contains eight SuperDraco engines capable of blowing up the Crew Dragon up to half a mile from the launch vehicle in less than eight seconds in the event of an emergency shortly after launch. To date, SuperDraco engines have never been needed, but a few years ago SpaceX shared stunning footage of an unmanned mission that tested the security system high in the Atlantic Ocean. The Crew Dragon spacecraft has been carrying cargo to the International Space Station since 2012, while astronaut missions began in 2020.
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