NASA & SpaceX - First Crewed Flight DM-2 patch.
August 1, 2020
Image above: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft moments after undocking from the International Space Station on NASA TV.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley inside undocked from the forward end of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:35 p.m. EDT to complete a two-month mission.
SpaceX Demo-2: Crew Dragon Hatch Closure
Two very small engine burns separated Crew Dragon from the station, and the spacecraft is slowly maneuvering away from the orbital laboratory into an orbital track that will return the astronaut crew and its cargo safely to Earth.
SpaceX Demo-2: Crew Dragon Undocking
Once flying free, Dragon Endeavour will autonomously execute four departure burns to move the spaceship away from the space station and begin the flight home.
NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/live
The return timeline with approximate times in EDT is:
August 1
7:35 p.m. Departure burn 0
7:40 p.m. Departure burn 1
8:27 p.m. Departure burn 2
9:14 p.m. Departure burn 3
August 2
1:44 p.m. Trunk jettison
1:49 p.m. Deorbit burn
2:41 p.m. Crew Dragon splashdown
NASA will continue to provide live coverage until astronaut Behnken and Hurley splashdown off the coast of Florida and are recovered from the Gulf of Mexico.
The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a successful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During their 63 days aboard station, Behnken and Hurley contributed more than 100 hours of time to supporting the orbiting laboratory’s investigations, participated in public engagement events, and supported four spacewalks with Behnken and Cassidy to install new batteries in the station’s power grid and upgrade other station hardware.
Related articles:
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2: Weather Remains ‘GO’ for Return, Live Coverage Today
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/08/nasas-spacex-demo-2-weather-remains-go.html
Astronauts Talk to Press on Friday Before Crew Dragon Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/07/astronauts-talk-to-press-on-friday.html
NASA, SpaceX Preparing For Crew Return
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasa-spacex-preparing-for-crew-return.html
Top 10 Things to Know for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 Return
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/07/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasas-spacex.html
Related links:
Splashdown weather criteria fact sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ccp_splashdown.pdf
Commercial Crew Program: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Image, Videos, Text, Credits: NASA/Norah Moran/NASA TV/SciNews.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
