SpaceX capsule succeeds where NASA failed

摘要

On 8 December, a small California-based company called SpaceX did something that had previously been the domain of governments; it launched a space capsule with a pressurised cabin into orbit, then brought it back down again intact. The Dragon capsule could have carried a crew, Some day soon it will. Commercial space flight has been a charged issue in the US since President Barack Obama announced in February that he wanted to outsource trips to the International Space Station to private companies. Critics of the plan, including the first moonwalker, Neil Armstrong, claim that only NASA can be trusted to build spacecraft that carry astronauts, as only they know how to do it properly.