U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who were the first to ride a commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station and the first to make a splashdown landing in 45 years, shared their experiences with the media Tuesday afternoon.
Two U.S. astronauts who were the first to ride a commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) and the first to make a splashdown landing in 45 years, shared their experiences with the media.
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley blasted off to the International Space Station on May 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket. Their Crew Dragon capsule docked with the station on May 31.
The flight was a historic one for NASA. Not only was it the first commercial launch of a spacecraft with humans on board, but it also marked the first time U.S. astronauts had launched from U.S. soil in almost a decade.
“It’s a humbling experience to be a part of what was accomplished with the SpaceX vehicle,” Behnken said at a news conference on Tuesday. “It took years in the making, I think Doug and I were working at it for a solid five years to get to this point.”
“It’s a humbling experience to be a part of what was accomplished with the @SpaceX vehicle.” @AstroBehnken comments on what it was like to realize five years of work into a successful launch and splashdown. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/OYlWXaUwXB
Since the shuttle was retired in 2011, U.S. and Canadian astronauts have relied on the Russian space agency’s tried-and-true Soyuz rockets to get to the ISS at a cost of nearly $80 million per seat.
On Sunday, the pair returned to Earth on the Crew Dragon, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Fla., while tropical