SpaceX crew returns to Earth from historic mission
PENSACOLA, Florida -- SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft — carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley — slowly maneuvered to Earth and splashed down Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico.
The spacecraft touched down off the coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon. Behnken and Hurley's safe homecoming marked the end to an historic two-month mission and paved the way for the U.S. to once again become a world leader in human spaceflight.
The astronauts boarded the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Dragon Endeavour, on Saturday evening when it undocked from the International Space Station.
Behnken and Hurley began their historic two-month trip to the ISS in May, when the astronauts launched inside their Crew Dragon spacecraft from a ground pad in Florida. It was the first NASA astronaut launch from US soil since 2011 and the first time in history that a commercially developed spacecraft carried humans into orbit.
Overnight, the vehicle conducted a series of engine burns to lower the vehicle's altitude, as it prepared to take a dramatic plunge back into the Earth's thick atmosphere.
Adding to the drama was Tropical Storm Isaias, which was barreling toward Florida's east coast and threatened violent winds capable of damaging roofs and buildings.
NASA and SpaceX had predetermined seven potential splashdown sites for the mission, four of which were to the west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. And in that area, the wind and wave heights were calm enough for the Crew Dragon to land safely.
Weather officials had kept a close eye on the forecast, and they could’ve called off the splashdown all the way up until the spacecraft began re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Behnken and Hurley — both married to fellow NASA astronauts —have young families that were waiting at home for them. Their sons dispatched a wake-up message for the astronauts Sunday morning.
"Rise and shine daddy, we love you! We can't wait to see you — wake up, wake up! ...Don't worry, you can sleep in tomorrow. Hurry home so we can go get my dog," one of the children said.
The astronauts responded to mission control: "Hopefully the pressure's all on whoever is making the weather call, because those boys seem excited to bring us home.
A safe homecoming was crucial. Though SpaceX previously launched a Crew Dragon on an un-crewed demonstration mission, Hurley and Behnken's mission was still considered a test. Both men are veteran NASA astronauts and test pilots who were specifically trained to respond to any technical issues that could’ve arisen on the new vehicle. NASA can now officially certify Crew Dragon as a human-rated spacecraft since it made a safe return.
