Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
NARRATOR: If the CST-100 ever has to splash down in the water, engineers and designers
want to make sure the astronauts inside have everything they would need to keep themselves
and the spacecraft safe.
That's why The Boeing Company tried out a host of equipment during recent testing
in a specialized facility outside Las Vegas.
Boeing is developing the CST-100 in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The capsule-shaped spacecraft is intended to carry crews to low-Earth orbit
and offer NASA astronauts a vessel to space.
The spacecraft is not meant to splash down in water to end a mission,
but rather parachute to an open area of land.
But that doesn't mean engineers are not preparing the capsule and crews in case a water
landing is called for.
John McKinney: We want to make sure that the equipment that we have either in the vehicle
or the recovery forces bring with us is designed properly.
NARRATOR: The testing took place at a Bigelow Aerospace facility near Las Vegas
and builds on activities that began last year.
The evaluations provided engineers with significant insight to their designs and expectations.
Alejandro Diaz: Crew safety is at the core of everything we do.
We take the time out to do this development testing.
You can think of many ideas at the office but once you get in here and test things out,
that's when you actually determine how good something works.
John McKinney: That's the beauty of testing, it is the real world.
You can design all day long but until you take it out and test in a real environment,
you don't know how it's going to perform.
NARRATOR: Testing for the CST-100 design will continue throughout development.
The spacecraft is expected to make its first space mission later this decade.