Follow Thomas Pesquet’s return to Earth with SpaceX – Numerama

SpaceX Crew-2 mission returns to Earth! The capsule is due to leave the ISS on the evening of November 8 and land overnight. On board, the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. The mission can be followed live.

• What ? The return of Thomas Pesquet, but also of three other astronauts: the Japanese Akihiko Hoshide and the Americans Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur;
• When ? During the night of November 8 to 9, 2021 for the undocking of the ISS and for the landing;
• Where ? In the ocean, off the coast of Florida;
• What will we see? The Crew Dragon capsule detachment from the International Space Station, which is suitable for transporting people. Then, the atmospheric reentry of this same capsule, until its arrival in the ocean.

Four astronauts return to Earth on the night of November 7-8, after a six-month long stay in the ISS. Among the returning crew is the French Thomas Pesquet, which completes its second trip to the ISS. The first time was from November 2016 to June 2017. In fact, with this second flight, he became the French who spent the longest time in space.

These four astronauts make up the Crew-2 crew, which is the second crew for which SpaceX provides operational transport (outward but also back). The first of its kind was Crew-1, from November 2020 (departure date) to May 2021 (return date). It should be noted, however, that SpaceX had previously carried out another manned flight, but this time a test. It was in 2020 with the Demo-2 mission.

The de-docking and re-entry procedures are automated, allowing astronauts and ground control to be limited to supervisory work. No need, therefore, to take control of the Crew Dragon capsule to detach from the ISS and move away from it. The trip will be long: it will take 8:30 for the vessel to finish its course in the ocean. And it will be necessary to do without WC on board.

In addition to the crew, the shuttle also brings back scientific research carried out under the exceptional conditions of the ISS (where it is possible to take advantage of microgravity) and equipment. The total advertised weight is 240 kg. Not enough to scare the Crew Dragon, which is capable of transporting cargo up to 6 tonnes. The scientific work that is brought back will continue on Earth.

The stay of Thomas Pesquet was punctuated by some highlights – because contrary to what one might think, the French did not spend his time posting photos of the Earth on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. He carried out three spacewalks, on June 16 and 20, as well as on September 12, which each lasted between 6.30 am and 7.15 am. This involved installing new solar panels for the ISS.

The other highlight of Thomas Pesquet’s trip occurred at the very end of his stay, when he took command of the ISS. A first both for the French, but also for France. This function had never been occupied by a compatriot until now. This role was until now shared between the USA and Russia, but it has also been entrusted to other astronauts in recent years.

As soon as the Crew-2 crew returned to Earth, SpaceX – which gave the United States autonomous access to the ISS – like NASA will immediately switch to the start of the following mission: Crew-3. It will carry four astronauts, three Americans and a German, Matthias Maurer. The departure of this mission is scheduled for November 10, with an arrival on the ISS the next day.

The return to Earth of Thomas Pesquet, Akihiko Hoshide, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur was postponed several times at the beginning of November, in particular because of strong winds in the landing zone. In order for the trip to go as smoothly as possible, it was decided to move it to Monday, November 8 at 8:05 p.m. (Paris time), except for another last minute postponement.

If the departure of the International Space Station takes place on the evening of November 8, its arrival on Earth must take place in the middle of the night: contact with the ground (more exactly, the Atlantic Ocean) is scheduled for 4:33 a.m. morning (Paris time), between November 8 and 9. It will therefore be very difficult to follow from France the arrival of the capsule, the opening of the parachutes and the recovery of the astronauts.

Due to high winds near the splashdown zone, the Crew-2 mission is now targeting a return to Earth no earlier than 10:33 pm ET on Nov. 8.

Crew Dragon Endeavor is scheduled to undock from the @Space_Station at 2:05 pm ET on Nov. 8. Learn more: https://t.co/HWNK3d999x pic.twitter.com/ZU3JcO0T87

– NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) November 7, 2021

You can follow the return of the four astronauts live, either through the NASA YouTube channel, or by opting for the spacex video stream. Note that, since a French person is part of the trip, the Center national d’études spatiales (Cnes) is planning a special program to cover the event – the opportunity to talk about the highlights of Alpha, code name of Thomas Pesquet’s mission in space.

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