Crew 6: What was the experience like returning to Earth at a speed of 27 thousand kilometers per hour and after multiple experiences in space

Leader stephen Bowen, the pilot Woody Hoburg (United States), mission specialists Sultan Al Neyadi (United Arab Emirates) and Andrey Fedyaev (Russia), They returned to Earth ditching In the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of the city jacksonville in florida, Thus putting an end to the new rotation task International Space Station.

the capsule Dragon Quest It separated from the station on the third day at 7:05 a.m. EST and, after moving away from the orbiting laboratory and spending less than 24 hours in orbit, turned on the Draco engines to slow it down and thus allow it to move. Earth’s gravity does the rest of the work, bringing them back up again. At that moment, one of the most dangerous stages of the entire journey into space began: returning to Earth by re-entering our atmosphere. At speeds of up to 27,000 km/h.

Crew 6 or Crew 6It took off from platform 39A Kennedy Space Center On March 2, after mating, they became members of the Expedition 69 to the space station.

Thanks to the emergence of commercial activity in the space sector, and similar companies SpaceXthe a pot And its partners can take full advantage of it Scientific use of the stationwhich takes more than 22 years With the constant human presence.

After withdrawing from the programme Space taxi (Space Shuttle), in 2011, the United States relied on Russia to launch crew members into low Earth orbit.

When this scenario changed The US space agency has opened up the game to commercial transportation companies. First the cargo, then the crew, to the space station. This has been allowed since then, thanks dragon ships, More astronauts come to work in orbit, not only from NASA, but also from many other countries, as in this case from the United Arab Emirates, with Sultan Al Neyadi as part of the crew, who became the first astronauts from his country to participate in long-term mission.

Astronauts who stay on the space station for six-month periods have a busy schedule full of activities, starting with… permanent maintenance of the station, until complex science experiments and extra-vehicular activities (EVA), or He walks in space.

in a special case crew 6, The four crew members were located in experiments that covered areas such as:

Fluid physics

– The health of the human body and its effects in microgravity, Such as, for example, the crystallization of monoclonal antibodies. Improving the crystallization process can have important effects not only when it comes to this Cut costs in the production of medicines, but also in facilitating their production storage.

– Use of robots on board using software It was developed by students from different universities.

Installing new solar panels Out of the station through a spacewalk

Launching nanosatellites Using Nanoracks’ Airlock, among others Nanorax-SC-ODINThis allows monitoring of dust storms Argentina and Namibia.

The Neyadi sultan also had an extensive work approx Permanent contact with educational institutions in your country, Participate in the live broadcast, where hundreds of young people participated and asked him questions of various kinds.

Days before returning to Earth, the crew A.J Press Conference. when information Al Neyadi was asked if he believed he had achieved at least part of his goal of inspiring new generations in his country, and he said:

“Of course, I come from an area where Space travel has been halted for more than 30 years And now I managed to make it Long term mission And I felt the need and obligation to explain and respond to the great Curiosity of youth of my own about these topics, doing it in the easiest and most direct way, and showing them, not only what we’re doing on a scientific level, but also what everyday life on the space station is like.”

It’s time to head back, and the four astronauts have already settled into their seats inside the Dragon capsule on its final orbit.

With the braking sequence behind them, there was no turning back, and descent into our planet’s atmosphere was inevitable.

As planned, once the capsule His engines started to brake, That delicate balance between speed and gravity has been broken. The ship left orbit And Earth’s gravity won the battle. Dragon Endeavor was set to return.

nope the a pot how SpaceX Announce What will be the final path? Ship before landing in the Atlantic Ocean, crossing the Atlantic Ocean The Gulf Of Mexico Heading to the northeast, crossing the state of Florida from Tampa to Jacksonville, where many enthusiasts and followers of the space program prepared for what would be A show that is very difficult to watch the vast majority of the time If you are not in the right position. This time, almost the entire state of Florida had the opportunity to see the return of the Sixth Crew.

It was him The fourth flight of the Endeavor capsule, Which had appeared for the first time in the historic DM-2 mission (Test Flight 2), in 2020, which means the return of manned flights from US soil since 2011, when NASA decided to end the space shuttle program or spacecraft. Space taxi. Not only is the situation today different, but NASA also has a partner like it spaceX, Which He has the ability to reuse his capsules.

Fifty-two minutes before landing, Endeavor fired its Draco engines to begin what is known as “burn out of orbit” also open To get out of orbit. in the 36th minute splash down or ditching, it closed its upper cone and positioned itself with its ‘belly’ – protected by its heat shield – pointing in the direction in which it was going, and the same shield, composed of excisional material, would be responsible for Heat dissipation who is going with Collision at very high speed with atmospheric air.

The next stage of descent is always the most important of the entire sequence, because Endeavor has to be Go from 27,000 km/h to 0 in a few minutes. Its interaction with the atmosphere begins at 7 km/sec The speed is such that the air that comes into contact with the heat shield is compressed and heated. He does it this way The ship can withstand temperatures of approximately 2000 degrees CelsiusIt turns into plasma that surrounds the capsule and leaves a mark From Earth it looks like a meteorite sky crossing A great show that is most enjoyed when the descent is at night.

With only four minutes left until touchdown, pull chute They set to work, stabilizing the capsule and slowing it down, and it was they themselves, after 3 minutes of contact with the sea, who deployed the four main parachutes that made Endeavor I just touched the surface of the Atlantic Ocean 6 meters per second.

Endeavour, with its four crew, landed in… 12:17 a.m. on Monday, September 4 And It presented a unique spectacle in the skies of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.

The astronauts are immediately reunited with their families after six months in orbit, while Dragon Endeavor begins preparing for a new challenge. Take four more crew members to the space station next yearWhen it’s your turn to do the job Crew 8.