{"id":37853,"date":"2020-08-02T21:34:15","date_gmt":"2020-08-02T21:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/08\/02\/spacex-capsule-and-nasa-crew-make-1st-splashdown-in-45-years\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:57:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:57:46","slug":"spacex-capsule-and-nasa-crew-make-1st-splashdown-in-45-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/08\/02\/spacex-capsule-and-nasa-crew-make-1st-splashdown-in-45-years\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX capsule and NASA crew make 1st splashdown in 45 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. \u2014 Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken rode the SpaceX Dragon capsule back to Earth less than a day after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/05\/31\/astronauts-arrive-at-space-station-in-spacexs-dragon-capsule\/\" target=_blank>departing the International Space Station<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/05\/27\/these-former-military-test-pilots-are-scheduled-to-launch-into-space-today-aboard-the-space-x-crew-dragon\/\" target=_blank>two months after blasting off from Florida<\/a>. The capsule parachuted into the calm gulf waters about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola, hundreds of miles from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/07\/31\/navy-installations-prepare-for-hurricane-isaias-as-it-works-its-way-up-the-atlantic-coast\/\" target=_blank>Tropical Storm Isaias<\/a> pounding Florida\u2019s Atlantic coast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWelcome back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX,\u201d said Mission Control from SpaceX headquarters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was truly our honor and privilege,\u201d replied Hurley. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/05\/21\/nasa-spacex-bringing-astronaut-launches-back-to-home-turf\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20141829933695.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">NASA, SpaceX bringing astronaut launches back to home turf<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">For the first time in nearly a decade, U.S. astronauts are about to blast into orbit aboard an American rocket from American soil. And for the first time in the history of human spaceflight, a private company is running the show.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than an hour after splashdown, the astronauts emerged from their capsule on the deck of a recovery ship, both signaling a thumbs-up as they headed for medical exams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their ride home in the capsule dubbed Endeavour was fast, bumpy and hot, at least on the outside.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spacecraft went from a screaming orbital speed of 17,500 mph (28,000 kph) to 350 mph (560 kph) during atmospheric reentry, and finally to 15 mph (24 kph) at splashdown. Peak heating during descent was 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,900 degrees Celsius). The anticipated top G forces felt by the crew: four to five times the force of Earth\u2019s gravity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within a half-hour of splashdown, the scorched and blistered 15-foot capsule was on board a SpaceX recovery ship with a staff of more than 40, including doctors and nurses. To keep the returning astronauts safe in the pandemic, the recovery crew quarantined for two weeks and were tested for the coronavirus.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opening of the hatch was held up briefly by extra checks for toxic rocket fumes outside the capsule. After medical exams, the astronauts were expected to fly home to Houston for a reunion with their wives and sons.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hurley offered final thanks just before he exited the capsule. \u201cAnybody who\u2019s touched Endeavour, you should take a moment to just cherish the day, especially given all the things that have happened this year.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1033\" height=\"689\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20215619291788.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken prepare to return to earth on a SpaceX capsule, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-75243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20215619291788.jpg.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20215619291788.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20215619291788.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20215619291788.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1033px) 100vw, 1033px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken prepare to return to earth on a SpaceX capsule, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. (SpaceX via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last time NASA astronauts returned from space to water was on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific, the scene of most splashdowns, to end a joint U.S.-Soviet mission known as Apollo-Soyuz. The Mercury and Gemini crews in the early to mid-1960s parachuted into the Atlantic, while most of the later Apollo capsules hit the Pacific. The lone Russian \u201csplashdown\u201d was in 1976 on a partially frozen lake amid a blizzard following an aborted mission; the harrowing recovery took hours.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SpaceX made history with this mission, which launched May 30 from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. It was the first time a private company launched people into orbit and also the first launch of NASA astronauts from home turf in nearly a decade. Hurley came full circle, serving as pilot of NASA\u2019s last space shuttle flight in 2011 and the commander of this SpaceX flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Musk monitored the descent and splashdown from SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who both watched the launch in Florida, sent congratulations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGreat to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission. Thank you to all!\u201d Trump tweeted.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA turned to SpaceX and also Boeing to build capsules and ferry astronauts to and from the space station, following the retirement of the shuttles. Until Hurley and Behnken rocketed into orbit, NASA astronauts relied on Russian rockets. SpaceX already had experience hauling cargo to the space station, bringing those capsules back to a Pacific splashdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the next era in human spaceflight where NASA gets to be the customer,\u201d NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said from Johnson Space Center in Houston shortly before the astronauts\u2019 return.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SpaceX needs six weeks to inspect the capsule before launching the next crew around the end of September. This next mission of four astronauts will spend a full six months aboard the space station. Hurley and Behnken\u2019s capsule will be refurbished for another flight next spring. A Houston company run by a former NASA official, meanwhile, has partnered with SpaceX to send three customers to the space station in fall 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boeing doesn\u2019t expect to launch its first crew until next year. The company encountered significant software problems in the debut of its Starliner capsule, with no one aboard, last year. Its capsules will touch down in the U.S. Southwest desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By beating Boeing, SpaceX laid claim to a small U.S. flag left at the space station by Hurley and the rest of the last shuttle crew. The flag \u2014 which also flew on the first shuttle flight \u2014 was carefully packed aboard the Dragon for the homecoming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also on board: a toy dinosaur named Tremor, sent into space by the astronauts\u2019 young sons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The boys recorded a wake-up call for their fathers Sunday morning, urging them to \u201crise and shine\u201d and \u201cwe can\u2019t wait to see you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t worry, you can sleep in tomorrow,\u201d said Behnken\u2019s 6-year-old son Theo, who was promised a puppy after the flight. \u201cHurry home so we can go get my dog.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SpaceX capsule and NASA crew make 1st splashdown in 45 years - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX company.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SpaceX capsule and NASA crew make 1st splashdown in 45 years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX company.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2020\/08\/02\/spacex-capsule-and-nasa-crew-make-1st-splashdown-in-45-years\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-08-02T21:34:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:57:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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