- The first manned flight with SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which aims to allow astronauts to travel between Earth and the International Space Station (ISS), is set to take place in early 2020.
- In the meantime, NASA has publicly released an app, "Rocket Science: Ride to Station."
- The app lets users experience a takeoff aboard a vessel like SpaceX's Crew Dragon or Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.
- We tested the app to see how a manned flight aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon would look.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The first manned flight with SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which aims to allow astronauts to travel between Earth and the International Space Station (ISS), is set to take place in early 2020.
If all goes smoothly, it could even take place in the first quarter of the year, according to comments made by NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, in a Reuters report.
In the meantime, NASA has publicly released an app, "Rocket Science: Ride to Station" that allows users to get a better understanding of what it's like to experience a takeoff aboard a vessel like SpaceX's Crew Dragon or Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.
The app takes you through the different stages of preparation for takeoff, allowing you to choose between the two vessels, to choose which type of mission you'd like to complete, to select your own crew, to witness the takeoff and the different stages of the launch, before proceeding to the docking — in manual or automatic mode — to the ISS.
As well as iOS, the game is also available on desktop.
While the app isn't designed to provide a realistic flight simulation with sensory and tactile sensations, it definitely offers a good overview of how a manned launch would work.
We tested the app to see how a manned flight aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon would look.
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The first thing you need to do is choose a difficulty level.
Docking at the ISS will be more complicated if you choose a higher difficulty level.
We chose the easy level.
Then choose one of the two capsules that will take you aboard the ISS.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon and the Boeing CST-100 Starliner have a lot in common: they're both reusable, can carry up to seven passengers and dock automatically to the ISS.
Unlike the Crew Dragon, the Starliner has to land on firm ground on its return to Earth rather than in the ocean.
You can then choose your mission and crew members.
As well as choosing to repair solar panels, you're given the option to perform lab experiments, deploy micro-satellites using a robotic arm, and to perform an extra-vehicular maintenance release to repair or install new equipment on the ISS.
You then have to choose the four members of your crew.
The astronauts' personalities are also taken into account to form a cohesive and solid group.
Bernard Comet, who works for a subsidiary of the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), told Business Insider that, to form crews for successful missions, "we look at their psychometrics, their behavior within group dynamics and, for example, we select median personalities; not highly emotional personalities".
For example, to carry out a mission involving growing food in space, you'll need members with knowledge of biology, medicine, and physics.
For long-term exploration missions, such as on Mars, we'll eventually need to find new ways to grow potatoes, for example.
This is because we won't be able to transport enough food from Earth.
The app also gives you a breakdown of how a rocket is structured.
Users can get a better appreciation for the different components of a missile, from the nose cone to the body and everything in between.
The app actually lets you assemble a rocket yourself.
Using a simple drag-and-drop method, you can put the rocket together yourself.
Once the Falcon 9 launcher is ready, head for NASA's 39A launchpad.
Once you've put together the rocket, you can get ready for for take-off.
If the weather conditions are favorable, takeoff won't be postponed.
As weather conditions are favorable this time, the launch isn't postponed.
The Falcon 9 is flying!
As well as interesting perspectives of the rocket flying, you also get a "well done" message once the rocket successfully takes off.
The app also offers a realistic demonstration of what would happen to the rocket in space.
In real life, the rocket separates in various stages. You can see this take place within the app.
The app's attention to detail is impressive.
The depiction of how the disassembly of the rocket would work is very thorough.
Here, you can see the nose separation.
Sometimes the nose cone is simply used to protect the satellite until it reaches orbital speed before it then separates from the rest of the rocket.
Then there is the docking stage.
In the app, you have the choice to perform this maneuver either in automatic or in manual mode.
Depending on the difficulty level you choose, this final step will vary in its complexity.
For the docking to succeed, the target in the middle has to be green.
When you've completed the docking, the game comes to an end.
At the end of the game, you'll get a message welcoming you aboard the ISS!