Four civil astronauts concluded their mission on SpaceX vehicles on Friday, landing in waters near Oceanside, California.
This marked the first time the company had brought people back to Earth in the Pacific Ocean after six years of Dragon Capsules splashing down in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico.
The FRAM2 mission orbited the Earth for four days in a north-south trajectory, allowing astronauts to witness North and Antarctica directly from space for the first time.
SpaceX relocated its operations to the Pacific Ocean to prevent dragon capsule debris from falling into random parts of the Earth. The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and favorable weather along the US West Coast provided a safe and conducive environment for the astronauts’ return.
The first SpaceX Astronaut Mission, a test flight in May 2020, saw Douglas Hurley and NASA’s Robert Behnken launching to the International Space Station. They returned just two months later, splashing down in the Gulf waters off Pensacola, Florida. This mission introduced SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon 2 capsule design.
Subsequently, there were nine NASA-funded flights, five private flights, and ten cargo missions to the International Space Station, all safely landing in Florida.
However, fragments of the spacecraft’s trunk began descending in unexpected locations, such as Australian sheep fields and North Carolina hiking trails. While no injuries or property damage occurred, the continuous rains of space debris pose a risk that needs to be addressed.
SpaceX had initially expected the spacecraft’s trunk to completely burn up during re-entry, but this turned out to be untrue. Therefore, last year, SpaceX announced changes to their Dragon Landing process.
The Dragon Trunk is now abandoned later in the return journey after the spacecraft uses thrusters to deorbit. This ensures targeted debris disposal, with the Pacific Ocean providing a safe area for debris to land without posing a threat to people.
Previously, the Dragon Trunk remained on trajectory for extended periods without a clear prediction of its re-entry location.
The milder Pacific climate also benefits NASA in scheduling missions.
SpaceX’s move partially to the Pacific Ocean for Dragon Landing meets NASA’s requirements for faster processing of scientific experiments returning from space, allowing SpaceX time to prepare for subsequent flights.
The most recent East Coast landing featured a NASA mission returning from the space station with NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. Due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, their stay in orbit extended over nine months. The mission ended with a playful encounter with a pod of dolphins investigating the spacecraft.
In this week’s FRAM2 mission, Chun Wang, an investor in blockchain and cryptocurrency mining, funded a private mission and chose three companions: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robot researcher Laveer Lodge, and Australian explorer Eric Phillips.
Mr. Wang named the mission after the Norwegian ship Fram, which explored the Arctic Circle in the 19th century. He provided updates from orbit, including his experience with space sickness and the uniqueness of Pacific Ocean landings.
“Space motion sickness affected us all – we felt nauseous and vomited several times,” wrote Mr. Wang.
Splashdowns in the Pacific Ocean have historical significance in spaceflight, with most of NASA’s Apollo missions landing there. SpaceX’s return to Pacific landings marks a shift from previous missions primarily landing in Florida.
The curiosity of West Coast dolphins remains to be seen, adding a whimsical touch to the return of space missions.
Source: www.nytimes.com
