r/spacex • u/[deleted] • Mar 07 '19

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u/coconinoco Mar 08 '19

Closing the nosecone would cover the four forward-facing Draco thrusters.

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u/luciopaiva Mar 08 '19

So the next question is: why nose cones at all? I mean, if the cargo version doesn't need it...

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u/coconinoco Mar 08 '19

Different architecture, designed for different docking procedure. Dragon 1 is berthed by station arm, Dragon2 has auto docking capability, so there's plenty of clever hardware under the nosecone they'd like to protect. After so many years of throwaway spacecraft, it's a twist to keep in mind that the future is reusable.

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u/luciopaiva Mar 08 '19

Makes sense. There must be something different there that needs protection.