LIVE: SpaceX Dragon CRS-2 (SpX-2) EOM (Unberth, Entry, Splashdown) UPDATES

[rickl]

Congratulations, SpaceX!  I'm at work but have been surreptitiously following the commentary here.   

[ap12]

My thanks to Chris for this site and the great coverage on this and all of space. If you are using NSF you should get L2. This site is a labor of love but speaking just for myself it deserves money as well.

[yg1968]

#Dragon splashdown photos coming soon from recovery boats, will be posted here and at http://spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com  when available

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/316597251839504385

[Artyom.]

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/316598991301255168

[Lars_J]

Bigger version

EDIT: Even bigger version...

[Ben the Space Brit]

I get a real Apollo vibe from those photos!

[dawei]

Great job to all involved.  Truly fun to see something like this become an ongoing reality.

[SpaceX_MS]

Many thanks on behalf of SpaceX for the congratulations on this interesting yet successful mission. All hands on deck for the F9v1.1 salvo.

Thank for the excellent coverage by this site on its news site, forum and L2.

I, as a SpaceX fan first and foremost, also endorse the below message, both for supporting the site and for the excellent content in there.
 

My thanks to Chris for this site and the great coverage on this and all of space. If you are using NSF you should get L2. This site is a labor of love but speaking just for myself it deserves money as well.

[Zed_Noir]

We hear anything on the water intrusion issue with the Dragon this go around.

[Avron]

We hear anything on the water intrusion issue with the Dragon this go around.

Elon tweet - cargo A ok

[Targeteer]

Houston reported during the DPC that the Dragon has not yet been recovered and that they will pass any updates to the crew.

[Artyom.]

Dragon CRS/SpaceX-02 - refined value for splashdown: 30°.52 north, 120°.05 west

https://twitter.com/Zarya_Info/status/316606775149355009

[Ben the Space Brit]

We hear anything on the water intrusion issue with the Dragon this go around.

Elon tweet - cargo A ok

Well, that could mean a lot of things.  We'll probably not know until NASA does an examination of the cargo, post return to shore, if everything is truly in good condition.

That said, I'm sure that Elon would have instructed the recovery team to ensure the freezers were on-line (and if they weren't to get them working).  So the tweet would strongly imply that this particular fix worked.

[Kabloona]

Dragon CRS/SpaceX-02 - refined value for splashdown: 30°.52 north, 120°.05 west

https://twitter.com/Zarya_Info/status/316606775149355009

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05
delta = 4 nmi

[Avron]

Dragon CRS/SpaceX-02 - refined value for splashdown: 30°.52 north, 120°.05 west

https://twitter.com/Zarya_Info/status/316606775149355009

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05

Pretty darn close.

and ship now at : Lat/Lon: 30.521509 / -120.0429

[Chris Bergin]

March 26, 2013

Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected]

Josh Byerly
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]

RELEASE: 13-085

SPACEX DRAGON SPACECRAFT RETURNS CRITICAL NASA SCIENCE TO EARTH

WASHINGTON -- A Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon
spacecraft successfully completed the company's second cargo flight
to the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 26, with a 12:36
p.m. EDT splashdown in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles west of
Baja California, Mexico.

"The scientific research delivered and being returned by Dragon
enables advances in every aspect of NASA's diverse space station
science portfolio, including human research, biology and physical
sciences," said Julie Robinson, International Space Station Program
scientist. "There are more than 200 active investigations underway
aboard our orbiting laboratory in space. The scientific community has
eagerly awaited the return of today's Dragon to see what new insights
the returned samples and investigations it carries will unveil."

Science being conducted aboard the space station includes research on
physical and biological processes that cannot be done anywhere else,
applied research to improve lives on Earth, and exploration research
to help humans move safely beyond Earth orbit.

A boat will take the Dragon capsule 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 freezer packed with research samples collected in the
space station's unique microgravity environment. The remainder of the
cargo will be returned to Texas with the capsule.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a
significant amount of cargo to Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 1, carrying
about 1,268 pounds (575 kilograms) of supplies and investigations. It
returned about 2,668 pounds (1,210 kilograms) of science samples,
equipment and education activities.

Investigations included among the returned cargo could aid in food
production during future long-duration space missions and enhance
crop production on Earth. Others could help in the development of
more efficient solar cells, detergents and semiconductor-based
electronics.

Among the returned investigations was the Coarsening in Solid-Liquid
Mixtures (CSLM-3) experiment, which also launched to space aboard
this Dragon. CLSM-3 studies how crystals known as dendrites form as a
metal alloy becomes solid. The research could help engineers develop
stronger materials for use in automobile, aircraft and spacecraft
parts.

Dragon also is returning several human research samples that will help
scientists continue to examine how the human body reacts to long-term
spaceflight. The results will have implications for future space
exploration and direct benefits here on Earth.

The mission was the second of at least 12 cargo resupply trips SpaceX
plans to make to the space station through 2016 under NASA's
Commercial Resupply Services contract.

SpaceX is one of two companies to build and test new cargo spacecraft
under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS)
program. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., is the other company
participating in COTS. A demonstration flight of Orbital's Antares
rocket and Cygnus spacecraft to the station is planned for later this
year.

NASA initiatives such as 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 few 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/commercial


-end-

[Stephan]

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05
delta = 4 nmi

Is it this one ?
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/fr/default.aspx?mmsi=367035570

[Avron]

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05
delta = 4 nmi

Is it this one ?
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/fr/default.aspx?mmsi=367035570

yes.. looks like they are heading home..

[smoliarm]

Dragon CRS/SpaceX-02 - refined value for splashdown: 30°.52 north, 120°.05 west

https://twitter.com/Zarya_Info/status/316606775149355009

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05
delta = 4 nmi

It looks like even closer

'AMERICAN ISLANDER' Vessel's Position History: 11 Records Found               
Date   Time (UTC)   Latitude    Longitude   Course   Speed
3/26/2013   17:50   30.52189   120.0423   44   0.7
3/26/2013   17:47   30.52151   120.0429   51   1.7
3/26/2013   17:45   30.52073   120.0436   50   1.8
3/26/2013   17:43   30.52047   120.0447   112   0.8
3/26/2013   17:40   30.52071   120.0452   116   0.8
3/26/2013   17:38   30.52099   120.0457   154   1.2
3/26/2013   17:36   30.52175   120.0455   89   0.9
3/26/2013   17:33   30.52169   120.046   74   1.7
3/26/2013   15:21   30.53269   120.136   327   1.5
3/26/2013   15:16   30.53133   120.1354   316   0.7
3/26/2013   15:11   30.53027   120.1349   336   1.2

After splashdown it sailed at 1-2 kn, less than a mile
Amazingly accurate work.
Congratulations, SpaceX !!

[Kabloona]

Dragon CRS/SpaceX-02 - refined value for splashdown: 30°.52 north, 120°.05 west

https://twitter.com/Zarya_Info/status/316606775149355009

Recovery ship position over an hour before splashdown: 30.53/-120.14
Reported splashdown position: 30.52/-120.05
delta = 4 nmi

It looks like even closer

'AMERICAN ISLANDER' Vessel's Position History: 11 Records Found               
Date   Time (UTC)   Latitude    Longitude   Course   Speed
3/26/2013   17:50   30.52189   120.0423   44   0.7
3/26/2013   17:47   30.52151   120.0429   51   1.7
3/26/2013   17:45   30.52073   120.0436   50   1.8
3/26/2013   17:43   30.52047   120.0447   112   0.8
3/26/2013   17:40   30.52071   120.0452   116   0.8
3/26/2013   17:38   30.52099   120.0457   154   1.2
3/26/2013   17:36   30.52175   120.0455   89   0.9
3/26/2013   17:33   30.52169   120.046   74   1.7
3/26/2013   15:21   30.53269   120.136   327   1.5
3/26/2013   15:16   30.53133   120.1354   316   0.7
3/26/2013   15:11   30.53027   120.1349   336   1.2

After splashdown it sailed at 1-2 kn, less than a mile
Amazingly accurate work.
Congratulations, SpaceX !!

120.0457 W is the farthest west longitude in the table after splashdown, so that was likely the recovery location. Looks like ship was in "free drift" until 17:45, then set a course home, heading north to Long Beach.