Name: NASA heads back to space
Uploaded: 2014-09-17
Duration: 1 min 29 s
Description: NASA heads back to space

NASA has chosen the companies that will send the US back to space. The Boeing corporation, and Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX have each presented to us designs that will allow us to fly crews to the International Space Station in just a few years. The $ 6. 8 billion deal makes the latest development in NASA's commercial crew program. After four years of intense efforts by NASA and its partners. The agency is on the verge of taking the final steps that will culminate in operational flights to the International Space Station. And they'll be the first American based manned spaceflight program, since the shuttle program shut down in 2011. Since then, NASA has been buying its way into orbit aboard Russian [ UNKNOWN ] rockets for $ 70 million a seat. But in a few years, NASA astronauts will be launching from home turf, aboard spacecraft Boeing and Space Ax have been designing since 2010. Boeing's crew capsule is a CST- 100, a roomy seven person ride designed to be reused up to ten times. SpaceX's Dragon which also sits seven has tended to get a bit more press than Boeing's offering. But that could have to do with its charismatic CEO Elon Musk, its penchant for big press events and its much cooler name. SpaceX's Dragon also has advantage of already having flown five missions to the ISIS carrying supplies and cargo but not people. The first manned flights from the two companies are expected in 2017