NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Returns Home: Undocking and Space Station Flyaround of Crew Dragon | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Dragon Endeavor spacecraft completes a successful fly-around maneuver of the International Space Station and initiates its journey back to Earth.

Key Insights

• 🪽 Dragon Endeavor completes a successful undocking and initiates its fly-around maneuver around the International Space Station.
• 🚉 The crew takes photographs of the space station's exterior during the fly-around, filling in gaps in the station's existing photographic survey.
• 🛰️ Dragon uses a series of burns to increase the distance between the spacecraft and the space station and align its orbit for re-entry.

Transcript

new possibilities are opening up for scientific cooperation between countries going through everybody [Applause] good morning or afternoon depending on where you're joining us from it's monday november 8th here at spacex headquarters in hawthorne california you're looking at a live view of the dragon endeavor spacecraft as we await its departure fr... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the purpose of Dragon Endeavor's fly-around maneuver?

The fly-around maneuver allows the crew to take photographs of the International Space Station's exterior, providing a photographic survey of the station and capturing areas that cannot be seen by external cameras.

Q: How long does the journey back to Earth from the International Space Station take?

The journey back to Earth is expected to last approximately eight hours, with the crew performing a series of burns to increase the distance between Dragon and the space station and align its orbit for re-entry.

Q: What is the landing location for Dragon Endeavor?

Dragon Endeavor is targeted to splash down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico tonight at 7:33 pm Pacific time.

Q: How does Dragon Endeavor operate during its journey back to Earth?

Dragon Endeavor operates autonomously, with no action required from the crew on board. The spacecraft follows a carefully choreographed series of maneuvers, including burns and parachute deployments, to safely return to Earth.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Dragon Endeavor spacecraft completes undocking and begins its fly-around maneuver, taking photographs of the International Space Station's exterior.

• The crew initiates a series of burns to maneuver Dragon further away from the space station and align its orbit for re-entry.

• Dragon is expected to splash down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, tonight, marking the end of NASA's first official long-duration mission.