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NASA@NASA · Jul 31, 2020

As we prepare to welcome @SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to planet Earth, follow this thread to learn…

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Summary

NASA details the step-by-step timeline for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft return to Earth, covering 18 key phases from hatch closure at the International Space Station through splashdown off the Florida coast and crew recovery. The process takes approximately 19 hours from undocking to landing, including crew sleep, atmospheric reentry with parachute deployment, and final recovery operations.

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  1. #1

    As we prepare to welcome @SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft back to planet Earth, follow this thread to learn about the timeline of events for bringing @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug home. 🌎🔙🐲🛰️

  2. #2

    HATCH CLOSURE: The hatch closes on the Dragon-side to get the spacecraft sealed up and ready for departure.

  3. #3

    SPACE STATION HATCH CLOSURE: International @Space_Station commander @Astro_SEAL closes the hatch on our orbiting laboratory, creating an area between the spacecraft and station known as 'the vestibule'.

  4. #4

    VESTIBULE DEPRESSURIZATION: Valves remove the air from Dragon, taking it near vacuum.

  5. #5

    GO/NO GO FOR UNDOCKING: Teams on the ground assess readiness of the spacecraft, the crew, and the @Space_Station for Dragon's departure.

  6. #6

    SEPARATION: Crew Dragon autonomously undocks from the @Space_Station and performs a departure burn to move away from our orbiting laboratory.

  7. #7

    DEPARTURE BURNS: Immediately after separation, Dragon performs a series of orbit-lowering maneuvers that line up its ground track with the planned landing location.

  8. #8

    PHASING BURNS: Prior to Dragon's deorbit burn, the flight computer jettisons the trunk in order to reduce mass and save propellant.

  9. #9

    CREW SLEEP: @AstroBehnken & @Astro_Doug have a ten-hour sleep period, as it is expected to take roughly 19 hours from undocking to splashdown.

  10. #10

    CLAW AND TRUNK SEPARATION: The lower half of Dragon (trunk) detaches from the top half (capsule) where the crew members reside. The capsule is the only part of the spacecraft that will survive the fiery heat of reentry.

  11. #11

    DEORBIT BURN: Dragon fires forward bulkhead thrusters for about twelve minutes to lower the spacecraft’s orbit until it intersects with planet Earth.

  12. #12

    NOSECONE CLOSE: Dragon’s protective nosecone covers the forward bulkhead thrusters, docking ring and number of other sensors used for approach and rendezvous with the @Space_Station.

  13. #13

    COMMUNICATION BLACKOUT AND ATMOSPHERIC REENTRY: Dragon experiences significant heating and drag as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, which slows the velocity to the point of safe parachute deploy.

  14. #14

    DROGUE PARACHUTE DEPLOY: At roughly 18,000 feet in altitude, Dragon automatically deploys two drogue parachutes to initially begin slowing down the spacecraft from its current speed of about 350mph.

  15. #15

    MAIN PARACHUTE DEPLOY: At roughly 6,500 feet in altitude, the Drogues detach from the capsule and release four main parachutes to continue slowing Dragon down to around 119mph.

  16. #16

    SPLASHDOWN: The main parachutes continue to carry Dragon down at a slight angle until it splashes down off the Florida coast.

  17. #17

    RECOVERY OPERATIONS: @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug will remain inside the capsule while teams from @SpaceX and our @Commercial_Crew Program approach and hoist the capsule onto the recovery ship.

  18. #18

    HATCH OPEN: Once onboard the recovery ship, the hatch is opened before @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug are assisted out of the capsule and welcomed home to Planet Earth.

  19. #19

    This thread is brought to you by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. #LaunchAmerica 🇺🇸