{"id":18121,"date":"2019-03-08T20:06:29","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T12:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-crew-dragon-spaceship-splashes-down-at-end-of-crucial-space-station-trip\/"},"modified":"2019-03-08T20:06:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-08T12:06:29","slug":"spacex-crew-dragon-spaceship-splashes-down-at-end-of-crucial-space-station-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-crew-dragon-spaceship-splashes-down-at-end-of-crucial-space-station-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship splashes down at end of crucial space station trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_484529\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-484529\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-484529\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-splashdown1-630x376.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX Crew Dragon splashdown\" width=\"630\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-splashdown1-630x376.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-splashdown1-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-splashdown1-1260x752.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-splashdown1.jpg 1810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-484529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spaceship hits the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for splashdown. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spaceship splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean today, ending a six-day uncrewed test run preparing the way for astronaut trips to the International Space Station later this year.<\/p>\n<p>Scorch marks were visible on the side of the 27-foot-long craft as it descended at the end of four red-and-white parachutes and hit the water at 5:45 a.m. PT. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had said the hypersonic plunge through the atmosphere was his \u201cbiggest concern,\u201d but the capsule survived intact.<\/p>\n<p>The Dragon looked like a giant toasted marshmallow as it was pulled up onto its \u201cnest\u201d on SpaceX\u2019s recovery ship, about 200 miles out from Florida\u2019s Atlantic coast. The ship, GO Searcher, will bring the spacecraft back to shore for inspection.<\/p>\n<p>The last time a crew-capable spaceship splashed down in the Atlantic was 50 years ago, at the end of NASA\u2019s Apollo 9 mission.<\/p>\n<p>After today\u2019s splashdown, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gave a shout-out to predecessors going back more than a decade, crediting them for setting up a commercial crew program aimed at filling the gap left by the space shuttle fleet\u2019s retirement in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an amazing achievement in the history of the United States of America, and it just really exemplifies what we can achieve when we maintain that constancy of purpose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Crew Dragon was launched from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center on the night of March 1-2 and spent several days docked to the space station. No humans were aboard, when the Dragon unhooked itself at 11:31 p.m. PT Thursday and backed away from its port on the station\u2019s U.S.-built Harmony module, 250 miles above the planet. But the Dragon went through all the steps that will have to be executed when astronauts climb aboard the next spaceship, as early as this July.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Crew Dragon undocking and departure\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2tSgej_7KYs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Once the Dragon reached a safe distance, NASA\u2019s Mission Control in Houston radioed its congratulations to SpaceX\u2019s team, the station\u2019s crew and partners around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wish this new asset to human spaceflight fair winds and following seas as it returns to Earth for its splashdown in the Atlantic,\u201d Mission Control said. \u201cYou have all made us proud today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aboard the station, NASA astronaut Anne McClain returned the compliment on behalf of the three-person crew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to take a moment to recognize this milestone accomplishment that marks the inaugural mission of the commercial crew program,\u201d she said. \u201cFifty years after humans landed on the moon for the first time, America has driven a golden spike on the trail to new space exploration feats through the work of our commercial partner SpaceX and all of the talented and dedicated flight controllers at NASA and our international partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McClain said \u201cit won\u2019t be long\u201d before astronauts start riding SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon as well as Boeing\u2019s CST-100 Starliner, another space taxi that\u2019s being developed for NASA\u2019s use.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t wait,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The Crew Dragon is an upgraded version of the robotic cargo-carrying Dragon that has been ferrying payloads to and from the space station since 2012. The past week\u2019s flight marked the first-ever Crew Dragon space trip, known as Demonstration Mission 1 or DM-1.<\/p>\n<p>A spacesuit-wearing, sensor-laden mannequin nicknamed Ripley (in honor of Sigourney Weaver\u2019s character in the \u201cAlien\u201d sci-fi movies) rode in one of the Dragon\u2019s seats, to document what living, breathing astronauts would hear and feel. A plush-toy version of Earth was also included as a zero-gravity mascot, along with 400 pounds of supplies.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Crew Dragon deorbit and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UhNl2o99CGc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>About 300 pounds of cargo, including unneeded hardware and scientific samples, were packed aboard the Dragon for the return trip. But the plush toy, nicknamed Li\u2019l Earthie, is staying behind. NASA said the toy would be brought back to Big Earth when two NASA astronauts \u2014 Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken \u2014 fly on Demonstration Mission 2 to the space station.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think our plan is to have him teach us,\u201d Behnken said, referring to Li\u2019l Earthie. \u201cHe\u2019s going to welcome us aboard probably when we get there. \u2026 He\u2019s a full-fledged crew member.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some issues still need to be resolved before that crewed mission. For example, some tweaks may need to be made to the thruster system, and the parachute system still has to be fully certified for crewed flights.<\/p>\n<p>Additional issues may turn up as a result of Demo-1\u2019s post-flight assessment, or during an upcoming test of the Crew Dragon\u2019s in-flight abort system. Few people would be surprised if Demo-2 was launched later than July.<\/p>\n<p>Boeing, meanwhile, is scheduled to send an uncrewed Starliner to the space station as early as next month, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Starliner\u2019s first crewed flight would follow, in August or later.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the schedule uncertainties, NASA has been talking with the Russians about buying more rides aboard Soyuz spacecraft, at a price that could amount to $80 million or more per seat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_484538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-484538\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-484538\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-nest-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX Dragon\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-nest-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-nest-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-nest-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/190308-nest.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-484538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crew Dragon looks like a giant toasted marshmallow as it sits in its nest on the deck of SpaceX\u2019s recovery ship. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spaceship hits the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for splashdown. (NASA via YouTube) SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spaceship splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean today, ending a six-day uncrewed test run preparing the way for astronaut trips to the International Space Station later this year. Scorch marks were visible on the side of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[235,1395,717,190,316],"class_list":["post-18121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crew-dragon","tag-dragon","tag-international-space-station","tag-nasa","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}