LIVE: SpaceX Dragon CRS-1 (SpX-1) (EOM) Unberthing, Entry, Splashdown

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 12-381

SPACEX DRAGON RETURNS FROM SPACE STATION WITH NASA CARGO

HOUSTON -- A Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft
splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 2:22 p.m. CDT Sunday a few
hundred miles west of Baja California, Mexico. The splashdown
successfully ended the first contracted cargo delivery flight
contracted by NASA to resupply the International Space Station.

"With a big splash in the Pacific Ocean today, we are reminded
American ingenuity is alive and well and keeping our great nation at
the cutting edge of innovation and technology development," NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Just a little over one year after
we retired the Space Shuttle, we have completed the first cargo
resupply mission to the International Space Station. Not with a
government owned and operated system, but rather with one built by a
private firm -- an American company that is creating jobs and helping
keep the U.S. the world leader in space as we transition to the next
exciting chapter in exploration. Congratulations to SpaceX and the
NASA team that supported them and made this historic mission
possible."

The Dragon capsule will be taken by boat to a port near Los Angeles,
where it will be prepared for a return journey to SpaceX's test
facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. Some cargo will be
removed at the port in California and returned to NASA within 48
hours. This includes a GLACIER freezer packed with research samples
collected in the orbiting laboratory's unique microgravity
environment. These samples will help advance multiple scientific
disciplines on Earth and provide critical data on the effects of
long-duration spaceflight on the human body. The remainder of the
cargo will be returned to Texas with the capsule.

The ability to return frozen samples is a first for this flight and
will be tremendously beneficial to the station's research community.
Not since the space shuttle have NASA and its international partners
been able to return considerable amounts of research and samples for
analysis.

The Dragon launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station in Florida, on Oct. 7. It carried 882 pounds of
cargo to the complex, including 260 pounds of crew supplies, 390
pounds of scientific research, 225 pounds of hardware and several
pounds of other supplies. This included critical materials to support
166 scientific investigations, of which 63 were new. Returning with
the Dragon capsule was 1,673 pounds of cargo, including 163 pounds of
crew supplies, 866 pounds of scientific research, and 518 pounds of
hardware.

The mission was the first of at least 12 cargo resupply missions to
the space station planned by SpaceX through 2016 under NASA's
Commercial Resupply Services contract.

SpaceX is one of two companies that built and tested new cargo
spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
(COTS) program. Orbital Sciences is the other company participating
in COTS. A demonstration flight of Orbital's Antares rocket and
Cygnus spacecraft to the station is planned in early 2013.

NASA initiatives like COTS and the agency's Commercial Crew Program
are helping develop a robust U.S. commercial space transportation
industry with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective
transportation to and from the space station and low-Earth orbit. In
addition to cargo flights, NASA's commercial space partners are
making progress toward a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the
next 5 years.

While NASA works with U.S. industry partners to develop and advance
these commercial spaceflight capabilities, the agency also is
developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a
crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new
capability for human exploration. Designed to be flexible for
launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS and Orion will
expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions
of exploration in the solar system.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For more information about NASA's commercial space programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial

[Space Pete]

Charlie Bolden blogs about the landing:

American Ingenuity at Its Best
http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/bolden/posts/post_1351455117572.html

[Avron]

SpaceX
about a minute ago
Dragon is on the boat, making its way to port.

[corrodedNut]

Photos!

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h49297cec#h49297cec

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h4929aa22#h4929aa22

[robertross]

Photos!

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h49297cec#h49297cec

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h4929aa22#h4929aa22

Thanks for the heads up!

She certainly takes up a good portion of the aft of the vessel!

[Space Pete]

Hmmm, looks like they're not using the traditional barge this time.

Meanwhile, the ISS is still silently chugging along minus Dragon.

[corrodedNut]

She certainly takes up a good portion of the aft of the vessel!

Seems like the recovery vessel keeps getting smaller.

[corrodedNut]

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but feel that I should point out that these photos were taken from the air...

[Avron]

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but feel that I should point out that these photos were taken from the air...

check it out... http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=367035570

location : http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=367035570&zoom=10&olddate=lastknown#

[spaceboy89]

SpaceX email update:

DRAGON SPACECRAFT RETURNS TO EARTH IN FIRST OFFICIAL CARGO RESUPPLY MISSION TO SPACE STATION

Hawthorne, CA — Today at 12:22 p.m. PT, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station, safely splashing down approximately 250 miles off the coast of southern California.

“This historic mission signifies the restoration of America’s ability to deliver and return critical space station cargo,” said SpaceX CEO and Chief Technical Officer Elon Musk. “The reliability of SpaceX’s technology and the strength of our partnership with NASA provide a strong foundation for future missions and achievements to come.”

Dragon departed the station early this morning with 1,673 pounds of return cargo including hardware, supplies, and a GLACIER freezer packed with scientific samples. Dragon is the only craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies to Earth, and this mission marks the first time since the space shuttle that NASA has been able to return research samples for analysis.

The SpaceX recovery team is now transporting Dragon by boat to a port near Los Angeles, where early cargo will be delivered to NASA. Dragon then will be transported to SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas for processing. There, the remaining cargo will be delivered to NASA.

The mission, called CRS-1, began October 7, when the Falcon 9 rocket launched Dragon from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX and NASA are currently investigating an anomaly that occurred with one of Falcon 9’s first-stage engines during the launch. Analysis to date supports initial findings:  the engine experienced a rapid loss of pressure and Falcon 9’s flight computer immediately commanded shutdown, as it is designed to do in such cases. The team will continue to meticulously analyze all data in an effort to determine root cause and will apply those findings to future flights.

This mission is the first of at least 12 to the International Space Station that SpaceX will fly under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.

[Nomadd]

 Most of that tracking info is people monitoring AIS transmissions and putting them on the internet. The tug is way outside land station range and any AIS info she's sending in would be by satellite and not as easily accessible.

[Avron]

check it out... http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=367035570

location : http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=367035570&zoom=10&olddate=lastknown

I don't know about that first link.  It says that the American Islander is in port in LA.

"Area: California
Latitude / Longitude: 29.32346˚ / -121.4065˚ (Map)
Currently in Port:
Last Known Port: LOS ANGELES
Info Received: 0d 0h 15min ago"

Not very useful for tracking

i think you miss read it..
it is last known port.  There is no current port.  Clink on latitiude to see where it is
jb

Looks good to me .. looks like its heading back to port..  I think if its in port the flag is displayed..

[sittingduck]

Photos!

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h49297cec#h49297cec

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h4929aa22#h4929aa22

Is there any particular reason for the other parachutes not being visible in the above shot, or am I missing them?

[corrodedNut]

check it out... http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=367035570

Looks like the A-frame crane was recently added, special for this customer?

[spectre9]

Another great mission.

2 in a year. I feel spoilt 

Well done SpaceX 

[corrodedNut]

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h49297cec#h49297cec

Is there any particular reason for the other parachutes not being visible in the above shot, or am I missing them?

They could be out-of-frame, or deflated and submerged. SpaceX twitter says: "all three main parachutes have deployed"

[QuantumG]

from twitter

[Halidon]

Photos!

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h49297cec#h49297cec

http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com/p278054961/h4929aa22#h4929aa22

Nice to see a real boat! Barges are fine and all but some things should rate a proper vessel.

[Halidon]

From Twitter:

Raw video of #Dragon's splashdown into the Pacific

[spectre9]

Just saw that. Very shaky.