Elon Muskʼs aerospace company SpaceX has successfully returned to Earth the first-ever mission in which "space tourists" orbited the planet above the poles.
This was reported by the SpaceX press service.
The Fram2 mission ended when four astronauts in the Crew Dragon “Resilience” capsule landed on a specially prepared landing site near the coast of Southern California.
This is the first time SpaceX has landed a capsule on the west coast of the United States, as all 16 previous missions have landed near Florida, either in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.
The location was changed because debris from the removable part of the Dragon spacecraft had already been found on land several times, although according to calculations it was supposed to burn up completely during entry into the Earthʼs atmosphere.
Now, the landings are planned to be moved to the West Coast, and the part of the ship that is no longer there will be detached after Dragon leaves orbit. This will allow for more precise control of its trajectory. According to SpaceX, this approach ensures that the debris will not be able to harm people or property — anything that does not burn up in the atmosphere will fall into the Pacific Ocean.
The new landing strategy was tested on Fram2 and will now be repeated on every subsequent Dragon mission.
During their mission, the crew conducted 22 experiments to improve their understanding of human health in space and prepare for long-duration spaceflight. They took the first X-rays in space, performed exercises to maintain muscles and bones, and grew mushrooms in microgravity.
After returning to Earth, the team left the Dragon spacecraft on their own without the help of doctors — to understand how independently astronauts can act after the flight.