SpaceX is preparing to launch human astronauts up to the International Space Station aboard its Crew Dragon ship later this month.
And if you were in any way curious about just what those astronauts will experience when it comes to arriving at the ISS, there’s now a way to find out.
SpaceX has released a free online simulator that lets you attempt to manually dock the Crew Dragon with the space station.
It’s not easy.
You start with the capsule sitting askew in space as you approach the orbiting lab and you need to pitch and yaw correctly to make sure you don’t smash into the ISS.
A heads-up display keeps you informed of your progress – which moves at a fairly glacial pace. Turns out that space flight in reality is much slower than it is in the sci-fi films.
The Crew Dragon is designed to automatically dock with manual controls only needed in an emergency.
If all goes to plan, coronavirus notwithstanding, Nasa astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will become the first human passengers of the Crew Dragon later this month.
In the meantime, you can try the free online simulator out for yourself here.
Source: Read Full Article