After spending 63 days in the International Space Station, American astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are on their way home. This will soon end the first manned space flight of a private company.
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The Crew Dragon – a capsule from SpaceX, the space company of Elon Musk – was disconnected from the ISS on Saturday night, with two NASA astronauts Bog Behnken and Doug Hurley on board. The capsule will land in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, around 8:50 p.m. Sunday evening, NASA said. For example, they stay away from Hurricane Isaias, which is currently ravaging the east coast of Florida.
“It has been a fantastic two months, and we appreciate everything you have done to help the Dragon on its maiden flight,” Hurley told the lagging crew in the ISS when the capsule was disconnected in preparation for the 21-hour return trip to soil.
The Crew Dragon was launched to space on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in late May. It was the first time in nine years that NASA had sent American astronauts into the air from American soil.
If the capsule returns to Earth without a problem, it is an important milestone for the commercial space company SpaceX, which has proven that it can safely bring and return astronauts to space. “The launch was the hardest part, but the most important part is bringing us home,” said Behnken at the farewell ceremony at the ISS.
Photo: AP
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