The US company, Space X, has blazed the trail in space travel by becoming the first private company to launch its own spacecraft to the ISS(International Space Station), currently in orbit, miles above our world.
The company's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at the break of dawn carrying into space a capsule called 'Dragon' that's packed with about 450 kgs of space station provisions. Till now, only government sponsored flights have flown on such expeditions! It's common knowledge that NASA had retired its space shuttle flights only last year.
The mission is set to include a fly-by and berthing with the space station before returning by this month end.
My take.
This is a precursor of commercial space flights in the future - first to the space station, followed by the setting up of similar stations, to be used as brief stopovers for replenishment of fuel/provisions and to the ultimate destination of planets in the earth's nearer realm. Consider this - a trip to Mars after a a week's halt on Venus! Science is gonna make the unthinkable, possible a few years from now.
Tailpiece.
Imagine people making inter-planetary journeys as frequently as one does, these days, between Chandini Chowk and Connaught Place making terrestrial distances look ridiculously insignificant and miniscule!
The company's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at the break of dawn carrying into space a capsule called 'Dragon' that's packed with about 450 kgs of space station provisions. Till now, only government sponsored flights have flown on such expeditions! It's common knowledge that NASA had retired its space shuttle flights only last year.
The mission is set to include a fly-by and berthing with the space station before returning by this month end.
My take.
This is a precursor of commercial space flights in the future - first to the space station, followed by the setting up of similar stations, to be used as brief stopovers for replenishment of fuel/provisions and to the ultimate destination of planets in the earth's nearer realm. Consider this - a trip to Mars after a a week's halt on Venus! Science is gonna make the unthinkable, possible a few years from now.
Tailpiece.
Imagine people making inter-planetary journeys as frequently as one does, these days, between Chandini Chowk and Connaught Place making terrestrial distances look ridiculously insignificant and miniscule!
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