Boeing's new space capsule

Geek Wire:

From the outside, Boeing’s new spacecraft mimics the Apollo-era capsules from back in the day. The interior, however, is all about the future.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik readies for flight-suit evaluations of the Boeing CST-100 capsule Monday in Houston. Photo via NASA.

Boeing today showed off the insideof its CST-100, a commercial spacecraft the company is building in hopes of flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

On Monday at Boeing’s Product Support Center in Houston, two NASA astronauts donned the classic orange spacesuits and went through flight evaluations inside the CST-100, which features tablet technology and the same blue LED lighting found in Boeing’s newer commercial aircraft like the Dreamliner.

“It’s an upgrade,” said NASA astronauts Serena Aunon in the video below. “It’s an American vehicle — of course it’s an upgrade.”

Boeing is developing the CST-100 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development program, in which private companies are vying to replace the Space Shuttle as a means of transporting up to seven astronauts to the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Sierra Nevada Corporation are also competing for NASA’s business.
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The astronauts will be using tablet computers rather than thousands of switches to maneuver and control the craft.   It is time for the US to quit having to hitch hike their way into space.