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Live: SpaceX astronauts returned to Earth after historic mission

2020-08-02T19:43:23.583Z


The capsule fell into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The mission began on May 30.


Paula Lugones

08/02/2020 - 15:10

  • Clarín.com
  • Society

In a movie scene and amid great worldwide expectation, the capsule fell gently after 19 hours of travel in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, cushioned by four parachutes. The ships immediately came to the rescue of the men who made history this Sunday: Two NASA astronauts returned safely in what is considered the United States' return to the space race and the start of the era of private missions to the afterlife. .

The Crew Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley landed, as scheduled, at 3:48 p.m. Argentina time off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, and thus successfully completed a landmark mission . It was the first manned spacecraft in the United States since the end of the shuttle era a decade ago. But also the first on a rocket from the Space X company, by businessman Elon Musk, in the most dangerous and high-level manned mission entrusted by NASA to a private company.

Also, it was the first time in 45 years that people were able to see the landing of a spaceship. The last time was on July 21, 1975, when the crew of an Apollo-Soyuz mission fell into the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii.

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Behnken (49 years old) and Hurley (53) were the first to depart from the United States into space since 2011, since since the frustrated launches of the ferries, the Americans had to fly from Russian territory and with Soyuz rockets from that country. They left 63 days ago for the International Space Station, which orbits 400 kilometers above sea level at 27,000 kilometers per hour.

All eyes were on NASA cameras, which broadcast the arrival of the capsule live. Tension had grown in recent days with the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaías , which threatened the Florida coast with strong winds and possible damage to buildings. The NASA and Space X had predicted several potential sites for the fall in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Tampa, Tallahassee and even Panama City.

But the storm deflected and the sea was calm near Pensacola. At the appointed time, the capsule dropped at a speed of about 25 kilometers per hour. The two rescue boats approached him quickly and the first thing they did was check that there were no toxic substances around the device.

A safe return home was crucial because Hurley and Behnken's mission was still considered a test . NASA would not officially certify Dragon as a suitable spacecraft for other missions without a calm and safe return. While the chosen astronauts are NASA veterans and test pilots specifically trained to respond to any technical issues that might have arisen in the new vehicle, the mission ended smoothly.

Before beginning his return to land, during a farewell ceremony at the International Station, Behnken stated that “the most difficult part was launching ourselves. But the most important part is taking us home . ”

Addressing her son and Hurley's son, he picked up a toy dinosaur that the children chose to send on the mission and said, "Tremor the Apatosaurus will be heading home soon and will be with his parents."

The success of the mission is a huge triumph for Space X, the company founded in 2002 by enterprising billionaire Elon Musk , the man who spawned Tesla electric cars and the PayPal payment system, whose dream today is to have the keys to space for to be able to take passengers to a new dimension, if possible to the Moon and Mars.

Sara Seager, professor of Aerospace Engineering and Planetary Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Clarín that “the United States has not had the ability to send a manned mission into space for almost a decade, making it a great milestone for NASA and the country . By working together, NASA and the private sector can make great things happen. But the future lies in the private sector, which has a unique capacity for both innovation and risk, while also reducing costs. ” The expert added that "with the ability to bring a human crew into space, the private sectors can engage in space tourism , if they can get enough participants to support this type of tourism."

Robert Winglee, director of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, told Clarín that "the Apollo era managed to get humans to the Moon, but it was expensive and the technology was not ready for a presence permanent human beyond low Earth orbit. Now the technology has vastly improved and humanity is ready to truly try to go beyond Earth in a permanent way, and this mission represents that next big step. ”

Washington. Correspondent.

DD

Source: clarin

All life articles on 2020-08-02

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