SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule Freedom splashed down into the Gulf of America just before 6 p.m. on March 18, finally returning home two astronauts whose eight-day trip to orbit was extended to more than nine months.
The crew departed from the International Space Station just after 1 a.m. on March 18, and their capsule turned itself around and fired its re-entry burns around 5:11 p.m., slowing itself to a point where it was pulled out of orbit and began re-entering the atmosphere, aiming for a splashdown zone off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
By 5:37 p.m., all cargo was stowed, harnesses were strapped tight, and their spacesuit helmets were closed, and at 5:44 p.m. they faded into a communication blackout….