Science
NASA astronauts splash down after journey home aboard SpaceX capsule – Sydney Morning Herald
The successful splashdown was a final key test of whether Elon Musk’s spacecraft can transport astronauts to and from orbit — a feat no private company has accomplished before.
For the return sequence, on-board thrusters and two sets of parachutes worked autonomously to slow the acorn-shaped capsule, bringing Behnken and Hurley’s speed of 28,000 km/h in orbit down to 563 km/h upon atmospheric reentry, and eventually 24km/h at splashdown.
During reentry to Earth’s atmosphere, the capsule’s outer shell withstood temperatures as high as 1900 degrees while Behnken and Hurley, wearing SpaceX’s white flight suits strapped inside the cabin, experienced 29.5 degrees.
Astron…
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