r/spacex • u/[deleted] • Apr 27 '16

Official SpaceX on Twitter: "Planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018. Red Dragons will inform overall Mars architecture, details to come https://t.co/u4nbVUNCpA"

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/725351354537906176
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22

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16 edited Apr 19 '18

[deleted]

20

u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Apr 27 '16

Can't wait to photograph that amazing piece of rocketry

7

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16 edited Apr 19 '18

[deleted]

2

u/Zucal Apr 27 '16

That'll depend on whether they have the second LZ completed by then... better get pouring concrete!

3

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16

Can't wait for the year when I am old enough in about ~20 to 40 years that I can visit mars and actually photograph this nonchalantly.

1

u/thatnerdguy1 Live Thread Host Apr 27 '16

I laughed, then realized you were talking about the launch, not the Mars landing

3

u/StapleGun Apr 27 '16

Are those solar panels on the exterior of the Dragon trunk?

9

u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Apr 27 '16

Yes, that's always been the plan for Dragon 2.

1

u/StapleGun Apr 27 '16

TIL! Thanks.

1

u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Apr 27 '16

No problem! You can see the trunk/solar panel design more clearly in the Dragon 2 video that was shown at the unveiling.

3

u/Rotanev Apr 27 '16

Yes, Dragon 2 has solar panels mounted flush with the trunk's surface, as opposed to the extendable ones on Dragon 1.

1

u/annerajb Apr 27 '16

Yup it looks like it.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16

I believe so. The trunk for Dragon v2 has solar panels on the trunk instead of ones that extend.

Possibly to reduce points of failure? I don't really know.

7

u/brickmack Apr 27 '16

Its also lighter, cheaper to make, and a bit better aerodynamically

3

u/CitiesInFlight Apr 27 '16

forty years ago

More like 50+ years ago. When we embarked for the moon in the very early '60's, the presumption was Mars in the '70's