{"id":51367,"date":"2021-11-09T04:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T08:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-475254"},"modified":"2023-07-26T16:32:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:32:28","slug":"crew-2-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-gulf-of-mexico","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/crew-2-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-gulf-of-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Crew-2 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Gulf of Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission astronauts smile and wave after splashing on Nov. 8, 2021.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg 5568w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, left, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Aki Hoshide, right, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong>Credits: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida Monday aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, completing the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/crew-2_mission_overview.pdf?emrc=7ac843\">second long-duration commercial crew mission<\/a> to the International Space Station. The mission set a record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed spacecraft. The international crew of four spent 199 days in orbit, surpassing the 168 days set by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/crew-1-astronauts-safely-splash-down-after-space-station-mission\/\">NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1<\/a> mission earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/robert-shane-kimbrough\/biography\">Shane Kimbrough<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/k-megan-mcarthur\/biography\">Megan McArthur<\/a>, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/humans-in-space.jaxa.jp\/en\/astronaut\/hoshide-akihiko\/#:~:text=Born%20in%20Tokyo%20in%201968,a%20certified%20astronaut%20in%202001.&text=Born%20in%20Tokyo%2C%20Japan.\" rel=\"noopener\">Akihiko Hoshide<\/a>, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration\/Astronauts\/Thomas_Pesquet\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Pesquet<\/a> returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 10:33 p.m. EST off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Crews aboard SpaceX recovery vessels successfully recovered the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, the astronauts will fly back to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re happy to have Shane, Megan, Aki, and Thomas safely back on Earth after another successful, record-setting long-duration mission to the International Space Station,\u201d said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. \u201cCongratulations to the teams at NASA and SpaceX who worked so hard to ensure their successful splashdown. NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program continues to demonstrate safe, reliable transportation to conduct important science and maintenance on the space station.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crew-2 mission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-spacex-crew-2-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\">launched April 23<\/a> on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew Dragon Endeavour docked to the Harmony module\u2019s forward port of the space station April 24, nearly 24-hours after liftoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet traveled 84,653,119 statute miles during their mission, stayed 198 days aboard the space station, and completed 3,194 orbits around Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout their mission, the Crew-2 astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities, scientific investigations, and technology demonstrations. In addition, they conducted four spacewalks and multiple public engagement events while aboard the orbiting laboratory. They studied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=1651\">how gaseous flames behave<\/a> in microgravity, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/chile-peppers-start-spicing-up-the-space-station\">grew hatch green chiles<\/a> in the station\u2019s Plant Habitat Facility, installed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Facility.html?#id=1891\">free-flying robotic assistants<\/a>, and even donned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8370\">virtual reality goggles<\/a> to test new methods of exercising in space, among many other scientific activities. The astronauts took hundreds of pictures of Earth as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/station-science-101\/earth-observation\/\">Crew Earth Observation<\/a> investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which contributes to tracking of natural disasters and changes to our home planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kimbrough, Hoshide, and Pesquet also completed four spacewalks to install, deploy, or otherwise prepare for installation of ISS Roll-out Solar Arrays. This brought the total number of spacewalks for Kimbrough, Hoshide, and Pesquet to nine, four, and six, respectively. The <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/2021\/09\/12\/international-astronauts-begin-spacewalk-to-modify-stations-power-system\/\" rel=\"noopener\">fourth spacewalk, conducted by Hoshide and Pesquet on Sept. 12, <\/a>was the first in the history of the space station that did not include an American or Russian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On July 21, all four Crew-2 astronauts boarded Endeavour for a <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/2021\/07\/21\/crew-dragon-endeavour-has-re-docked-to-station\/\" rel=\"noopener\">port relocation maneuver<\/a>, moving their spacecraft from the forward-facing port to the space-facing port on the station\u2019s Harmony module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crew-2 flight is part of NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/commercial\/crew\/index.html\">Commercial Crew Program<\/a>, which has worked with the U.S. aerospace industry to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the space station. The splashdown of Crew-2 comes just before the launch of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-3 mission, currently scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday, Nov. 10, on another long duration mission of approximately six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Endeavour will return for inspection and processing to SpaceX\u2019s Dragon Lair in Florida, where teams will examine the spacecraft\u2019s data and performance throughout the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following Crew-3\u2019s launch, the next NASA and SpaceX crew rotation mission is Crew-4, currently targeted for launch in April 2022. Crew-3 astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth shortly after welcoming their Crew-4 colleagues to the orbiting laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This already has provided additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity\u2019s microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew program at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew\"><strong>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">-end-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joshua Finch \/ Stephanie Schierholz<br> Headquarters, Washington<br> 202-358-1100<br> <a href=\"mailto:joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov\">joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov\">stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov<\/a><br> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kyle Herring \/ Kathleen Ellis<br> Kennedy Space Center, Fla.<br> 321-867-2468<br> <a href=\"mailto:kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov\">kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov\">kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov<\/a><br> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gary Jordan \/ Leah Cheshier<br> Johnson Space Center, Houston<br> 281-483-5111<br> <a href=\"mailto:gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov\">gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov\">leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida Monday aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, completing the agency\u2019s second long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The mission set a record for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed spacecraft. The international crew of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":53281,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"21-149","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[2867,2800,3191,2801,8372,2656,2735,2861,3421,2862,2655,3416],"news-tags":[12373],"internal-terms":[9508,9505],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Crew-2 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Gulf of Mexico","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/crew-2-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-gulf-of-mexico\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/crew-2-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-gulf-of-mexico\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Humans in Space","Astronauts","Robert Shane Kimbrough","NASA Headquarters","Commercial Crew","Commercial Space","Expedition 66","International Space Station (ISS)","Johnson Space Center","K. Megan McArthur","Kennedy Space Center","Missions"],"dateCreated":"2021-11-09T08:03:00Z","datePublished":"2021-11-09T08:03:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T20:32:28Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Crew-2 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Gulf of Mexico\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/crew-2-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-gulf-of-mexico\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2021-11-09T08:03:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Humans in Space,Astronauts,Robert Shane Kimbrough,NASA Headquarters,Commercial Crew,Commercial Space,Expedition 66,International Space Station (ISS),Johnson Space Center,K. Megan McArthur,Kennedy Space Center,Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"featured_image":{"id":53281,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/nhq202111080004.jpg","title":"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 Splashdown","alt":"NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission astronauts smile and wave after splashing on Nov. 8, 2021.","caption":"ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, left, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Aki Hoshide, right, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/51367"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/51367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":448795,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/51367\/revisions\/448795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51367"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=51367"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=51367"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=51367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}