SpaceX's all-civilian crew splashes down to Earth
"Welcome home to Planet Earth...and congratulations on your incredible journey."
SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, parachuted into the sea around 7 p.m. EDT, shortly before sunset, after an automated re-entry descent, SpaceX said during a live webcast shown on its YouTube channel.
The return from orbit followed a plunge through Earth's atmosphere generating frictional heat that sent temperatures surrounding the outside of the capsule soaring to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The astronauts' flight suits are designed to keep them cool if the cabin heats up.
Applause was heard from the SpaceX flight control center in suburban Los Angeles as the first parachutes were seen deploying, slowing the capsule's descent to about 15 miles per hour before splashdown, and again as the craft hit the water.
Recovery vessels were shown headed toward the water-proof Crew Dragon as it bobbed upright, nose up, in the water.
SpaceX, the private rocketry company founded by Tesla Inc electric automaker CEO Elon Musk, said it should take about an hour to get the crew out of capsule. A camera shot from inside the cabin showed them sitting calmly strapped into their seats.
