Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
Image Credit: AFP
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It was the first water landing for a US spacecraft since the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975.
Image Credit: NASA via REUTERS
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Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived back on Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida.
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The capsule parachuted into the calm gulf waters about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola, hundreds of miles from Tropical Storm Isaias pounding Florida's Atlantic coast.
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Within a half-hour of splashdown, the scorched and blistered 15-foot capsule was hoisted aboard a SpaceX recovery ship with a staff of more than 40, including doctors and nurses.
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The opening of the hatch was held up briefly by extra checks for toxic rocket fumes outside the capsule.
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After medical checkups, the astronauts were flown by helicopter to Pensacola and then to Houston.
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Pilot Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts on board, said: "It's truly our honor and privilege" as radio communications became choppy and cut out.
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The SpaceX capsule is lifted onto a ship in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Support teams and curious recreational boaters arrive at the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed.
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The SpaceX capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Image Credit: AP
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