CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first astronauts to ride a SpaceX spacecraft into orbit returned to Earth on Sunday after a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
This was the first splashdown in 45 years for NASA astronauts and the first return in the gulf.
Florida’s Atlantic coast is starting to see the effects of Tropical Storm Isaias, but waves and winds were calm near Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.
Watch astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley return to Earth after two months in space:
Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken departed the International Space Station on Saturday night.
They awoke to a recording of their young children urging them to “rise and shine.”
NASA said this is SpaceX’s final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown and recovery operations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read: NASA successfully launches Perseverance Rover into space
BREAKING: @NASA and @SpaceX are targeting Pensacola as the primary return location for Crew Dragon w/ @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken from the @Space_Station. We are targeting undocking at 7:34 p.m. EDT today. Read more: https://t.co/Xdh8iIpLxz pic.twitter.com/9p5TRMevAH
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) August 1, 2020
Cox Media Group
