Space X Success!: Dragon Hooks Up With International Space Station
This morning, the first private spacecraft was captured by the robotic arm of the International Space Station. It happened very, very slowly, starting at around the 19 minute mark:
So that was pretty awesome.
And here's your cheesy, quotable line from the mission:
When the craft reached a distance of 10 meters (33 feet), NASA astronaut Don Pettit used the station's 17-meter-long (60-foot-long) robotic arm to grab hold of the Dragon's grapple attachment at 9:56 a.m. ET. "Capture is confirmed," NASA mission commentator Josh Byerly said.
"It looks like we've got us a Dragon by the tail," Pettit told Mission Control.
If all goes well, the Dragon will disgorge food, a laptop, and other supplies for ISS residents tomorrow. We are now officially in a bold new era of privately provided space services. Read all about it here.
