Nasa astronauts safely drop into sea after pioneering SpaceX mission to International Space Station
Nasa astronauts have dropped into the sea after a pioneering SpaceX mission to the International Space Station.
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley became the first American astronauts to splashdown in 45 years when they landed in the capsule made by Elon Musk's space firm.
The arrival in the Gulf of Mexico – after having blazed through Earth's atmosphere, and being carried safely down by parachutes – brought an end to a mission that is set to change space travel in the US.
The mission began at the end of May, when the two astronauts took part in the first launch of astronauts from US soil in nearly a decade.
The successful finish to the mission means that SpaceX's Dragon capsule – in which the astronauts were carried up to space, docked with the ISS, and then safely came back down – has passed the last of its tests, and will now go into regular use flying astronauts.
"Thanks for flying @SpaceX."
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A 2:48pm ET, @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug splashed down, marking the first splashdown of an American crew spacecraft in 45 years. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/zO3KlNwxU3— NASA (@NASA)
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