The SpaceX Dragon Endurance team ship returns to Earth in the Gulf of Mexico for a nighttime splashdown with 4 commercial crew astronauts inside. Credit: NASA
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer sprinkled down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 12:43 a.m. EDT on May 6 (9:43 a.m. PDT on May 5) after 177 days in space.
The Dragon Endurance spacecraft finished its deorbit burn as anticipated ahead of splashdown. 4 minutes prior to splashdown, the drogue parachutes deployed at about 18,000 feet (~ 5,500 meters) in elevation while Dragon was moving around 350 miles per hour (~ 560 km per hour), and less than a minute later on, the main parachutes deployed at about 6,000 feet (~ 1,800 meters) in altitude while the spacecraft was moving around 119 miles per hour (~ 192 km per hour).
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen just after undocking from the forward port of the International Space Stations Harmony module at 1:20 a.m. Credit: NASA TELEVISION
Teams on the Shannon healing ship, including 2 quick boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and guaranteeing the spacecraft is safe for the healing effort. As the quick boat groups finish their work, the recovery ship will move into position to raise Dragon onto the main deck of Shannon with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the team will be gotten of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter ride to board an airplane for Houston.
By NASA
May 6, 2022