Those four astronauts and the Crew-1 capsule are scheduled to return to Earth on April 28. "So I'll definitely be focused on making sure that her mission's as successful as possible and supporting her just as she did for me over the last five years. The Crew-1 astronauts are seen here aboard the International Space Station (left to right): Michael Hopkins, Soichi Noguchi, Shannon Walker and Victor Glover. It will be the third piloted flight of a SpaceX commercial crew ship. The test firing and dress rehearsal are both timed to mimic actual launch day procedures and timing. The Crew Dragon descending under parachutes Sunday, moments before splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola, Florida. Astronauts speak out about successful landing... Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley answer phoned-in questions from reporters during a news conference two days after their historic return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The Crew-2 Falcon 9 rocket, featuring the same first stage that launched the first operational Crew Dragon mission — Crew-1 — in November, was expected to be hauled out of SpaceX's hangar at the base of pad 39A overnight Thursday. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will return astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley after spending 64 days on-board the ISS. / CBS News. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station Saturday at 5:08 a.m. Eastern, nearly 24 hours after lifting off from the … That will be good news for Behnken's wife, astronaut Megan McArthur. The return to Earth – and activities leading up to the return – will air live on NASA Television, the NASA App, and the agency's website. Soyuz MS-17/63S commander Sergey Ryzhikov, flight engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins are scheduled to undock from the lab complex at 9:34 p.m. Behnken also participated in four spacewalks with Cassidy to wrap up installation of replacement batteries in the station's solar power system. The two Soyuz crew rotation flights set the stage for the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch Thursday and the return to Earth of another Crew Dragon on … Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia.". The Crew-2 astronauts launching next Thursday (left to right): European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Megan McArthur, commander Shane Kimbrough and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-crs-17-return-to-earth.html But it doesn't sound like a machine," Behnken explained. You can hear that rumble outside the vehicle," he said. NASA's Perseverance rover just made breathable air on Mars, Mars helicopter completes second test flight, SpaceX launches four astronauts to space station, There may be 36 intelligent alien civilizations in the Milky Way. "When the time came to splash down ... we felt the splash and we saw it splash up over the windows. https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-crs-19-cargo-ship-returns-to-earth.html ET on April 28. 7 deputies on leave after fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. Chauvin convicted of all charges in George Floyd's death, Biden calls Chauvin murder conviction a "step forward", Nation reacts to Derek Chauvin's conviction, Praise for teen who filmed George Floyd's murder, What the Chauvin verdict means for reforms, George Floyd's brother on Chauvin conviction, Police reform legislation has "more momentum" post Chauvin verdict, Astronauts speak out about successful landing. The large amount of science returning to Earth on this mission is possible thanks to upgrades to the SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft, which has double the powered locker capability of the company’s previous capsules. Robert Behnken, left, and spacecraft commander Douglas Hurley, greet recovery crews moments after the hatch of their Crew Dragon capsule was opened. https://nypost.com/2020/08/02/spacex-crew-returns-to-earth-today https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/nasa-spacex-mission/index.html Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia.". Before departing, Walker will turn over command of the station to Hoshide, who will be in charge during the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Plunging back to Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Sunday amounted to a high-speed thrill ride, astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken reported Tuesday. After a weeklong "handover" to help familiarize their replacements with station operations, the Crew-1 astronauts will depart, riding their SpaceX capsule to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico south of Tallahassee, Florida, around 12:40 p.m. The two Soyuz crew rotation flights set the stage for the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch Thursday and the return to Earth of another Crew Dragon on April 28, bringing four astronauts home after a 164-day stay in space. "They will do a very thorough review, both on the SpaceX side and the NASA side, to make sure that they're comfortable. It was just a great relief.". The previous team of astronauts that launched from KSC in November, meanwhile, are slated to re-enter their Crew Dragon capsule and return to Earth early on April 28. Pending resolution of one presumably minor technical issue, liftoff from historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center is targeted for 6:11 a.m. Including six excursions during two previous shuttle missions, Behnken now ranks fourth on the list of most experienced spacewalkers, with 61 hours and 10 minutes spent outside the station. In Kazakhstan, meanwhile, Russian recovery crews and NASA support personnel were deployed for the planned re-entry and landing of a Soyuz spacecraft bringing three space station crew members back to Earth. ASTRONAUTS on SpaceX are set return to Earth TONIGHT (Sunday August 2) after they were sent to the International Space Station in May. For the past nine years, NASA has relied on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to ferry U.S. and partner agency astronauts to and from the station, paying more than $80 million per seat under recent contracts. Tracking footage of Crew Dragon’s descent, parachute deployments and splashdown pic.twitter.com/pzbm1iXCC6. SpaceX Crew Dragon splashdown: See NASA astronauts return to Earth The Demo-2 mission came to a successful end after Crew Dragon splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. During a formal flight readiness review at the Kennedy Space Center, senior managers agreed to press ahead with launch of the SpaceX "Crew-2" astronauts next week and the return of the four Crew-1 station fliers they are replacing. The atmosphere starts to make noise. Hurley, who piloted two shuttle missions, including the winged orbiter's final flight to the space station in 2011, said he expected some surprises during the Crew Dragon's reentry. "I expected there to be some divergence and attitude control, because it's a real tough problem for the ship as it gets into the thicker air to maintain perfect attitude and control," he said. "And as the vehicle tries to control (its orientation), you feel a little bit of that shimmy in your body, and our bodies were much better attuned to the environment (after two month in weightlessness) so we could feel those small rolls and pitches and yaws," he added. Assuming an on-time launch Thursday, the Crew-2 astronauts will dock at the station's forward port next Friday morning, April 23. August 5, 2020 / 7:35 AM Behnken and Hurley, veterans of two space shuttle flights each, said the ride down was possibly more exciting than either expected. He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. California Privacy/Information We Collect. But from a crew perspective, I think that it's definitely ready to go.". "Once we descended a little bit into the atmosphere, Dragon really came alive. The spacecraft carried out an automated rendezvous to catch up with the International Space Station and, after the astronauts tested its manual control system, docked with the lab complex using the same forward port that once accommodated visiting space shuttles. Over the next two months, Hurley and Behnken assisted Cassidy with a full slate of U.S. and partner agency research, logging 114 hours carrying out experiments that would not otherwise have gotten done with a single U.S. astronaut aboard. "And ... the vehicle was rock solid.". The Crew Dragon is far more advanced than what NASA astronauts sat in … ", When the capsule's stabilizing drogue parachutes deployed, followed by four large main chutes inflating, it felt "very much like getting hit in the back of the chair with a baseball bat," Behnken said. Dragon capsule will return cargo as part of SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) contract with NASA. Only one issue remains under review going into a busy weekend. "My wife is assigned to a SpaceX mission, and we have a young son," Behnken said. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-crew-dragon-astronauts-return-to-earth He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. The fiery, flawlessly-controlled descent to splashdown went off without a hitch — a major step toward certifying the vehicle for operational flights. A refurbished SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is prepared for launch next week to ferry two NASA astronauts, a Japanese flier and a Frenchman to the International Space Station. That instant at splashdown when we knew we did it. Behnken and Hurley had nothing but praise for SpaceX and NASA's Commercial Crew Program, thanking SpaceX for the extensive training they received and for audio recordings and video from an unpiloted Crew Dragon test flight last year that let them know what to expect during the trip back to Earth. ", "If you've seen an old movie that happened to have some guys who'd been in a centrifuge, that's what we felt like," he said. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/iUkzqyX6gU, "They do need to look at the data from our entry," Behnken said. The spacecraft, with Hurley and Behnken still strapped in their seats, was hauled aboard a SpaceX recovery ship without incident. Biden recognizes mass killing of Armenians as genocide, What Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict means for the future of policing, Authorities in India scramble to get oxygen tanks to COVID patients, Cop seen punching teen and throwing him to the ground, Family of Andrew Brown Jr. calls for release of police video, Indonesia navy says missing submarine sunk, killing all aboard, U.S. Capitol Police officer testifies about January 6 attack in trial, Derek Chauvin's sentencing set for June 16. "This was an important milestone today because this is when the teams come together ... and we put that stamp of approval that it's safe for our astronauts to get on the vehicle and launch, and, in the case of Crew-1, come home safely," said Norm Knight, deputy director of flight operations at the Johnson Space Center. ET on April 22, which also happens to be Earth Day, kicking off a 23-hour rendezvous with the space station. "It was a pretty significant jolt. The spacecraft performed in near-flawless fashion throughout its first piloted mission and, if a detailed post-flight review confirms that, NASA managers hope to certify the spacecraft for operational crew rotation missions to and from the space station starting this fall. Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. NASA's Perseverance rover just made breathable air on Mars, Mars helicopter completes second test flight, SpaceX launches four astronauts to space station, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter makes maiden flight on Mars, Astronauts prepare for launch to International Space Station. After an all-day review, NASA and SpaceX tentatively cleared a refurbished Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket for launch next Thursday to ferry a three-man, one-woman crew to the International Space Station. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. NASA to Air Live Coverage of SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts’ Return to Earth. ", First published on August 4, 2020 / 7:44 PM. It will be the third piloted flight to orbit from U.S. soil since the shuttle's retirement in 2011 and the second operational Crew Dragon flight as NASA moves away from sole reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to carry astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit. She's one of four astronauts scheduled to blast off next year aboard the same Crew Dragon capsule that carried Behnken and Hurley back to Earth. The Crew Dragon and, eventually, Boeing's Starliner CST-100 capsules are intended to end that sole reliance on Russia while opening up low-Earth orbit to private-sector development. "What a ride!" California Privacy/Information We Collect. Congratulations to @SpaceX and @NASA on an incredible mission! © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. SpaceX engineers plan to test fire the Falcon 9's first stage engines Saturday morning and carry out a dress rehearsal countdown with the astronauts early Sunday. It just continues to gain magnitude. The crew of the first operational Crew Dragon spacecraft plan to return to Earth on April 28. The landing will come just six days after another Soyuz reached the space station carrying three fresh crew members: Soyuz MS-18/64S commander Oleg Novitskiy, flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.