SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has had his "mind blown" after the SpaceX Crew-2 mission, dubbed "Endeavour," explained how it feels to say goodbye to the International Space Station following a six-month stay in orbit, as well as what happens after they return to Earth.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - APRIL 23: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket flies to the International Space Station after blasting off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 23, 2021, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket with an international crew of four astronauts in a Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.
SpaceX Crew-2 Shared How It Feels to Bid Farewell to ISS, Elon Musk Stunned
The International Space Station's official Twitter account has published photographs of the Crew-2 Endeavour's goodbye from its orbital surface lock as it freefalls back to Earth to complete its mission. The photographs highlight the Earth's remarkable blue hue, as well as its beauty, as seen from above by the cameras.
The shot also shows Musk's SpaceX's Crew-2 Dragon spaceship, which includes the pod that would have returned the Endeavour crew to Earth. The International Space Station (ISS) has displayed a stunning collection of photographs that have shocked and surprised CEO Elon Musk. He said he was "mind blown" as he described the reality of how it looks like to depart from the space station.
The Crew-2 team also recently saw an increase in solar activity, which resulted in spectacular aurorae in Earth's atmosphere. Crew-2's captain, Shane Kimbrough, took a snapshot and shared it on Twitter.
Thomas Pesquet also witnessed the spectacular moment. He described it on Twitter as the strongest auroras he had seen during their journey. Meanwhile, Meghan McArthur enjoyed the magnificent "gift" before heading home. Some of these light shows may not have been seen if the astronauts had returned on time.
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What Happened to Crew-2 Astronauts Upon Arrival
During the arrival, NASA released a photo of the Crew Dragon Endeavour's cometary reentry. Following then, the space agency published the first image of the astronauts inside the capsule.
The New York Times said that the astronauts stayed in the Crew Dragon as SpaceX and NASA recovery crews in "fast boats" raced to their position. It was after the capsule had splashed down in the waters off Florida's coast. A member of each of those teams will attach a hook on the spacecraft's top.
The GO Searcher, a bigger SpaceX spacecraft, closely followed them. The rescue team then hoisted Crew Dragon out of the sea and onto the ship's back deck using a crane, where people will snugly fit it onto a raised platform dubbed the "Dragon nest" to keep the ship stable while it bobs in the ocean.
After the four astronauts are safely out of the ocean, recovery workers will open the hatch, giving them their first breath of fresh air in over 200 days. The astronauts will be helped out of the capsule one by one by medical crews onboard the ship, who will use stretchers if required to keep them off their feet as they acclimatize to Earth's gravity.
Long-term space travel can deplete muscle mass and throw an astronaut's balance off, necessitating a physical recuperation procedure when they return to Earth.
The Crew-2 astronauts will be brought down to Earth in a helicopter before boarding a NASA jet heading for the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will undergo medical exams for a few days. According to a NASA study, astronauts can restore their balance and gait in three days during trips lasting up to six months.
Astronauts who travel to space for shorter periods of time appear to have less difficulty. The four private passengers who spent three days in orbit on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission in September could exit the spacecraft with ease.
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