The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts from the International Space Station, successfully returned to Earth early Tuesday morning. At 5:47 a.m. EDT, the Dragon Endurance capsule touched down into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, with NASA’s Space X Crew-7 on board. People from around the U.S. were able to catch a glimpse of the capsule during its return from orbit around Earth and many took the opportunity to capture the capsule streaking across the sky in the pre-dawn hours.
Michael Seger, a meteorologist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, shared a video of Dragon Endurance flying over Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, exclaiming, “Okay…that was awesome!” Likewise, people in New Orleans witnessed the spectacular sight as well, capturing the capsule flying over the city skyline, resembling a shining comet.
For the past six months, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov lived on the International Space Station, conducting over 200 research experiments on various topics. These experiments included studying plant life, medical science, and how spaceflight impacts the human body’s immune system.
After their 17,500-mph orbit around Earth, the crew returned to Earth, with the help of parachutes, landing gently on the water in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the retrieval of the Dragon Endurance capsule and the crew members.
Following their recovery, the Crew 7 team looked healthy and happy to be home as they made their way to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for reunions with their families and medical checkups. Congratulations to the SpaceX Crew 7 for a successful mission and welcome home!
