Making Space Flight Practical

For John, BLUF:  We have come a long way since Professor Robert Goddard, at Clark University, was doing early rocket experiments (and inventing the Bazooka), around the time of World War One.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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In a Huge First, SpaceX Just Launched Astronauts to The ISS on a Recycled Rocket

From Science Aert, by Reporter Issam Ahmed, 23 April 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

SpaceX launched its third crew to the International Space Station an hour before sunrise Friday, recycling a rocket and spacecraft for the first time.

The Crew-2 mission, the first involving a European, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 09:49 UTC (5:49 am Eastern Time).

"Endeavour launches once again - four astronauts from three countries on Crew-2, now making their way to the one and only International Space Station," announcer Gary Jordan said to loud cheers and applause.

A nice article by the Reporter.

The impressive thing about this launch is that Launch Company owner Elon Musk is recycling its equipment; in that both the Falcon 9 booster and Crew Dragon capsule were deployed on previous missions.

A translation note.  Where the Agence France Presse says "around 100 experiments in the diary during their six-month mission" the word diary means agenda.

The rendezvous with the Internation Space Station works because everyone involved believes 2 + 2 = 4, always.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff