A SpaceX crew has returned to Earth following a successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The four astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida in their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule following a six-month NASA science mission.
Live re-entry
The Crew Dragon, named Endeavour, parachuted into the sea at 10:30 pm EST on Monday, its re-entry was covered lived by a NASA webcast. Thermal video imaging captured the capsule streaking through the night sky over the Gulf shortly before splashdown. The eight-hour automated return voyage started with a 90-minute fly-around of the space station as the capsule orbited the station 205 miles above Earth.
The capsule re-entered the atmosphere at about 17,000 miles per hour and began a free-fall toward the ocean below, during which time communications with the crew were lost for several minutes. Intense friction generated as the capsule plunged through the atmosphere sent temperatures on the outside of the vehicle soaring to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Recovery vessels were shown heading toward Crew Dragon as it floated in the water.
An international crew
The crew, which spent 199 days in space during the mission, was made up of two NASA astronauts – mission commander Shane Kimbrough, 54, and pilot Megan McArthur, 50 – along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, 52, and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet, 43, a French engineer from the European Space Agency.
This successful mission to the International Space Station marked the third mission launched into orbit under NASA’s public-private partnership with SpaceX, the company formed in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, the founder of electric car firm Tesla.
Toilet trouble
One issue facing the crew on their return journey was a plumbing leak aboard the capsule that rendered the spacecraft’s toilet inoperable, requiring the astronauts to relieve themselves in their spacesuit undergarments during the flight home, according to NASA. Musk has previously vowed to improve amenities, including the food and Wi-Fi aboard future flights.
