A SpaceX Dragon Cargo plunges to the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, carrying around 3,700 pounds of cargo and experimental results according to NASA. This is the first return load from the International Station in a year.
SpaceX Dragon Cargo
CBS News said that SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule plunged 261 miles southeast of Long Beach, California at 2:51 p.m. SpaceX Dragon capsule brought research materials, including biological samples such as urine, saliva and blood samples of Scott Kelly during his almost one-year stay in the International Space Station (ISS).
Dragon recovery team on site after nominal splashdown in Pacific. pic.twitter.com/824c3YpaYG
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 11, 2016
According to The Verge, the specimens carried by the SpaceX Dragon capsule are vital in the understanding of how the human body adapts to long-term spaceflight. Kelly stayed at the ISS for 340 days. His samples will create a picture on how the body changes in the unusual environment.
Unlike Orbital ATK's expendable Cygnus capsule, the SpaceX Dragon was built to withstand the descent through the Earth's atmosphere. With the help of parachutes, the SpaceX Dragon slowed down the capsule during its fall, allowing it reach the Pacific Ocean without breaking apart.
Two years from now, SpaceX hopes to land a crewed version of the capsule. However, SpaceX is yet to try it out.
SpaceX Operations
SpaceX or Space Exploration Technologies resumed their Dragon flights to the station last month according to Fortune. SpaceX Dragon is also the first to return cargo from the ISS in a year after a SpaceX launch accident on June 2015. The accident destroyed another unmanned capsule, reports said.
SpaceX Dragon capsules are the only cargo ships that can return load from ISS. The ISS is a $100 billion research facility that is floating around 250 miles above the Earth.
"Dragon spacecraft has served us well. It's good to see it departing full of science, and we wish it a safe recovery back on planet Earth," British astronaut Timothy Peake radioed to Mission Control in Houston. Peake is working from the space station's cupola module. He commanded to free the grip at 9:19 a.m so the SpaceX Dragon can start its journey back to Earth.
Let us know if you find this cool. Leave your comments below. Also, check out this video about the SpaceX Dragon from NASA.
