NASA Astronauts Return to Earth Following Two-Month SpaceX Test Flight
Written by SOURCE on August 3, 2020
NASA astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, bringing an end to their two-month test flight aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Fox News reports.
It marked the first splash down by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, and completed the United States’ mission to launch its own astronauts, ever since the final space shuttle flight nearly a decade ago. SpaceX made history of its own, becoming the first private company to launch people into orbit.
At one point, a boat clearly supporting Donald Trump rode by the capsule.
Hurley and Behnken took off on May 30 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. According to CNBC, they spent a total of 63 days at the International Space Station, testing out the SpaceX capsule that would be used for their return journey.
Their capsule was recovered by a SpaceX recovery ship with over 40 people aboard. Musk was reportedly monitoring their return from SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. The recovery crew spent two weeks in quarantine and were tested for the coronavirus to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Both astronauts will need to undergo a battery of medical tests before they’re allowed to travel back to Houston to be with their families.
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine spoke glowingly about their partnership with SpaceX following their first successful mission together. “The reason we had success today is because SpaceX is so good at adapting and the NASA team is so good at sharing what the engineering challenges are,” Bridenstine said. “It has been an absolutely amazing partnership.”
Many notable figures, including Musk himself, praised the successful mission.
SpaceX will now inspect the capsule used to bring Hurley and Behnken back home. It will be refurbished as plans get underway for the next crew launch, which could happen as early as next month.
