The Dragon has returned to Earth.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule parachuted down to the Atlantic Ocean Friday morning, successfully capping the first test of a commercial spacecraft that will likely bring astronauts to the International Space Station -- possibly in the next year.
Prime Day deals you can shop right now
Products available for purchase here through affiliate links are selected by our merchandising team. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.iRobot Roomba Combo i3+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum and Mop—$329.99(List Price $599.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet—$178.99(List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case—$189.99(List Price $249.00)
Eero 6 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (Router + 2 Extenders)—$149.99(List Price $199.99)
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band)—$299.00(List Price $399.00)
The Crew Dragon capsule gently splashed down off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:45 a.m. ET after spending five days docked to the space station. The demonstration mission -- which carried no humans but a dummy covered in sensors -- is the first of at least one more test that NASA will use to determine if the Dragon capsule passes the space agency's rigid safety standards.
But it's a big first step.
Tweet may have been deleted
After the capsule reached the space station last Sunday morning, NASA astronaut Anne McClain recognized the event on a live webcast: "We knew how significant it was and how important it was, really for the whole history of spaceflight. I've said it before: It is a new era," said McClain.
Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up! Indeed it is. Only NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos have ever delivered astronauts to the space station. Now, commercial providers -- specifically SpaceX and Boeing -- are set to fulfill the role, while offering considerably cheaper seats ($58 million per seat rather than $81 million).
SEE ALSO:Opportunity rover's last picture is as grim as it is darkAfter landing in the ocean, SpaceX boated out to the capsule, and now plans to retrieve the spacecraft, lift it onto its recovery ship, and return to the Kennedy Space Center where the company houses rockets in a 54,000-square-foot hangar.
Tweet may have been deleted
SpaceX accomplished three main objectives during this test mission, called Demo-1: A takeoff, space station docking, and landing -- though NASA will certainly scrutinize the spacecraft's performance, in part by assessing how the SpaceX test dummy, nicknamed Ripley, experienced the high-speed flights.
Tweet may have been deleted
As Dragon parachuted down to Earth, it deployed four parachutes, which SpaceX commentators called "healthy parachutes."
Still, NASA expects that there will be kinks to work out.
"I’m very comfortable with where we’re headed with this flight. I fully expect we’re going to learn something on this flight. I guarantee you everything will not work exactly right. And that’s cool," Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for NASA’s human spaceflight program, said during a briefing before the launch, The Washington Postreports.
Tweet may have been deleted
The next date for NASA's second crew capsule demonstration, a mission dubbed Demo-2, is undetermined, but SpaceX has the launch listed as a future mission on its website.
Featured Video For You
Ever wonder how the universe might end?
顶: 1踩: 692
SpaceX lands in Atlantic Ocean, completes historic crew capsule test
人参与 | 时间:2024-09-22 14:33:09
相关文章
- AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 may get revealed at the Apple September event
- The activists fighting algorithms for a more just and equitable future
- UNSC unanimously adopts new sanctions against N. Korea
- Study reveals the simple way people get around Facebook's fact
- Campbell highlights Washington Declaration amid security concerns over Putin
- Full text of President Moon Jae
- The Rock describes his fight with COVID
- Election breakdown: What happened on Instagram Sept. 29
- Ruling bloc divided on foreign nannies' pay
- A new era for cyberwar as U.S. hacks Russian power grid.
评论专区