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| SpaceX Mission Expected to Return on Sunday |
NASA astronauts that visited the International Space Station on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft are expected to land on Earth on Sunday, August 2, 2020.
Douglas O. Hurley and Robert L. Behnken, the two astronauts, are the first NASA astronauts who were sent to outer space on a private spacecraft. After two months at the International Space Station, they will go on one of the most challenging parts of their mission, that is returning to Earth.
SpaceX Crew Dragon
Launching humans into space was Elon Musk’s goal when he established SpaceX in 2002. In May this year, millions of people finally watched the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
After a successful journey, Hurley and Behnken arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on May 31, 2020. The mission, called Demo-2, was the first time a private spacecraft sent astronauts into space.
It was also the first time NASA sent its astronauts since the end of the Space Shuttle program back in 2011. Since then, American astronauts have had to train on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft. It was an expensive scheme that cost $90 million for each astronaut.
The Journey Back
Hurley and Behnken started their way back to Earth on the Crew Dragon capsule on Saturday, August 1, 2020. The journey back takes around 21 hour and 27 minutes, and they are set to land on the waters near Florida. The astronauts’ landing is the last hurdle to overcome in the Demo-2 mission.
The capsule was launched from the ISS at 19:34 ET. After it is far enough from the ISS, the capsule will detach its bottom part. This part contains the fuel tank, solar panels, and other hardwares that are no longer needed.
The process will expose the capsule’s heat shield, which is able to deflect and absorb plasma energy of up to 3500 Fahrenheit. Its function is to protect the astronauts and the hardware while the capsule breaks through Earth’s atmosphere at a speed 25 times that of sound.
Once the capsule enters the atmosphere, its parachute will open to slow it down until it lands safely. After the landing, Hurley and Behnken must wait between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the weather condition.
However, it is reported that Florida is facing the threat of tropical storm Isaias which had hit Bahama on Saturday. Nevertheless, NASA chose to carry on with the return mission.
