On SpaceX's Falcon-9/ Dragon Mission ...

Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Date: May 22   Launch Time: 3:44 a.m. EDT Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. This mission is a demonstration flight by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, as part of its contract with NASA to have private companies launch cargo safely to the International Space Station. › Mission Objectives (PDF 96 Kb) › Mission Overview (PDF 97 Kb)

SpaceX Launch SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex-40 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 22, 2012 at 3:44:38 a.m. EDT. The on-time liftoff occurred after a smooth countdown that saw favorable weather and no technical problems. The Falcon 9 carried SpaceX's Dragon capsule, embarking on a demonstration flight to the International Space Station. In addition to berthing with the station and delivering cargo, Dragon must exhibit a range of capabilities to meet two flights' worth of objectives, such as on-orbit maneuvers, rendezvous capabilities and vehicle performance. Falcon-9 specifications & configuration

The SpaceX Dragon is seen berthed to the International Space Station's Harmony module .

SpaceX mission control vs. NASA mission control (photo comparison) Why so many binders (presumably filled with paper) are seen on the desks of the engineers at NASA's Mission control yesterday when they were docking SpaceX's Dragon module to the Space Station? In contrast, the SpaceX folks had (almost) none at there mission control center. The only conclusion one can draw from this is that the government agency is so riddled with bureaucracy that everything must be followed "by the book" so to speak. But this seems simple minded to me. Source:http://boingboing.net/

Incredible Dragon Approach and Berthing – Image Gallery from Andre Kuipers aboard ISS May 27, 2012 Dragon approaching International Space Station (ISS) over Namibia on May 25, 2012 Hours on end monitoring Dragon's approach is no punishment. Here over Namibia. On Friday, May 25, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) made space history when they deftly reached out with the stations robotic arm and grabbed the approaching SpaceX Dragon resupply carrier and then parked the first ever commercial cargo craft at an open port on the massive lab complex while orbiting some 407 kilometers (253 miles) above Earth - check out the gallery here ! and SpaceX