Скачать или смотреть SPLASHDOWN: Intrepid SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew returns home after history-making mission

A GIANT LEAP! SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew is home, capping off a five-day mission to orbit — which included the world’s first commercial spacewalk — by splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts landed off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, at 3:37 a.m. ET Sunday.
The Polaris Dawn mission made history as it reached a higher altitude than any human has traveled in five decades. A spacewalk conducted early Thursday morning also marked the first time such an endeavor has been completed by a privately funded and operated mission.
But returning to Earth is among the most dangerous stretches of any space mission.
To safely reach home, the Crew Dragon capsule carried out what’s called a “de-orbit burn,” orienting itself as it prepared to slice through the thickest part of Earth’s atmosphere. Dragging against the air began to slow the vehicle down before the Crew Dragon deployed parachutes that further decelerated its descent. Having hit the ocean, the spacecraft briefly bobbed around in the water until rescue crews waiting nearby hauled it out of the ocean and onto a special boat, referred to as the “Dragon’s nest.” Final safety checks took place there before the crew disembarked from the capsule and began the journey back to dry land.
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