Dragon 1 was SpaceX's response to NASA's tender for a cargo transfer and equipment return contract to the ISS. It provided a pressurized compartment, as well as an unpressuried trunk where additional equipment would be transported. After reaching the ISS, Dragon could be filled with completed experiments and other equipment that would be returned to the Earth.
Launch was atop a Falcon 9, recovery was from the ocean, typically in the Gulf of Mexico.
