The Dragon was then lifted onto a recovery vessel, with Mr Behnken and Mr Hurley later unstrapped from their seats. Finals checks were first completed in case of any dangerous remnant vapours were still surrounding the capsule. The astronauts have already both confirmed they’re doing well after their return to Earth and will be checked over by medical staff.

They made history together on May 30 by becoming the first people to launch into low-Earth orbit on a commercial spacecraft. For the return sequence, on-board thrusters and two sets of parachutes worked to slow the capsule and bring its speed from 17,500 mph in orbit down to 350 mph upon atmospheric reentry, and eventually 15 mph at splashdown.

During the process, the capsule’s outer shell withstood temperatures as high as 3,500F (about 1926°C), causing it to turn almost entirely black. Inside, Mr Behnken and Mr Hurley experienced temperatures of around 30°C, while the re-entry also caused a temporary communications blackout.

The successful splashdown means NASA will now fully certify Musk’s SpaceX for manned launches going forward. The government agency says this will save billions of dollars which can then be spent on getting astronauts to Mars and the Moon.

The last time astronauts made an ocean landing was on July 1975 during an Apollo mission. Since then, they have always landed on dry land, with NASA’s Space Shuttle, retired in 2011, landing on runways, like a commercial aeroplane.

Watch the video here:https://wahalablog.com/spacex-crew-dragon-astronauts-return-to-earth-in-first-splashdown-for-45-years/

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