The closest thing to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon we’ve ever put in space is the Apollo crew module. What does 40 years of capsule improvement get you? (Video via NASA)
CREW
Apollo: 3
Crew Dragon: as many as 7 (Video via SpaceX)
SEATS
Apollo: Shock-mounted hollow steel and Armalon cloth
Crew Dragon: Carbon fiber and Alcantara cloth
CLIMATE CONTROL
Apollo: maintained at about 75F
Crew Dragon: 65-80F, crew-adjustable (Video via NASA)
ABORT CAPABILITY
Apollo: 200,000 pounds of thrust, until abort rockets are jettisoned at 295,000 feet
Crew Dragon: 120,000 pounds of thrust, any time (Video via NASA, SpaceX)
REENTRY FORCE
Apollo: one flight got up to 7.19 Gs
Crew Dragon: 3.5 Gs (Video via NASA, SpaceX)
LANDING
Apollo: Parachute-assisted splashdown
Dragon: Propulsive touchdown, with parachute backups (Video via NASA, SpaceX)
TIMELINE
Apollo: Last flight was during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975
Crew Dragon: First manned mission planned for December 2016
This video includes images from NASA and SpaceX.
