Sunita Williams Return Live Updates: Journey To Home Begins Williams and Wilmore undock from ISS | NASA LIVE
Watch as the four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission—NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—undock from the International Space Station and begin their journey home to Earth.
Crew-9's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. EST (0505 UTC). After undocking from the station, Crew-9 is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. EST (2157 UTC), ending their multi-month mission in low Earth orbit.
#SunitaWilliams #NASALive #SpaceX #Crew9 #DragonReturn #ISS #NASA #Astronauts #Spaceflight #LiveUpdates #EarthBound
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Sunita Williams Finally Returning To Earth—Landing Time, Location, And Live Stream Details Inside :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/sunita-williams-finally-returning-to-earth-landing-time-location-and-live-stream-details-inside-4097693.html?ref=DMDesc
Sunita Williams' Return LIVE Updates: Stranded Astronaut's Return Journey Begins :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/sunita-williams-return-live-updates-stranded-astronauts-return-journey-begins-4097675.html?ref=DMDesc
Watch as the four members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission—NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—undock from the International Space Station and begin their journey home to Earth.
Crew-9's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. EST (0505 UTC). After undocking from the station, Crew-9 is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. EST (2157 UTC), ending their multi-month mission in low Earth orbit.
#SunitaWilliams #NASALive #SpaceX #Crew9 #DragonReturn #ISS #NASA #Astronauts #Spaceflight #LiveUpdates #EarthBound
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Who Is Sunita Williams' Husband Michael? Know All About Their Love Story & Family :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/who-is-sunita-williams-husband-michael-know-all-about-their-love-story-family-4097793.html?ref=DMDesc
Sunita Williams Finally Returning To Earth—Landing Time, Location, And Live Stream Details Inside :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/sunita-williams-finally-returning-to-earth-landing-time-location-and-live-stream-details-inside-4097693.html?ref=DMDesc
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time.
00:30Thank you for joining us.
01:00It's March 17th and we're joining you today from SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.
01:10We're following along with the Dragon Freedom spacecraft as we await Crew 9 beginning its 10.05 p.m. Pacific,
01:161.05 a.m. Eastern departure from the International Space Station
01:20with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sonny Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.
01:28I'm Veronica Foreman, a senior sales manager here at SpaceX.
01:31And I'm Sandra Jones with NASA Public Affairs and Communications.
01:35It is so great to be back here.
01:36It is really great to have you back, Sandra.
01:38And, of course, thank you to everyone tuning in to watch live coverage of Dragon completing its ninth crew rotation mission
01:45to the space station through NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
01:48Crew 10 arrived on station on Sunday, March 16th at 12.04 a.m. Eastern.
01:53That's March 15th for those of us here in the Pacific time zone.
01:56And they will be taking over for Crew 9, who are now headed home.
01:59That's right.
02:00And Crew 10 did launch just a few days ago on March 14th with NASA astronauts Anne McClain,
02:06Nicole Ayers, JAXA, or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi,
02:12and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kriel Peskov.
02:15They've spent a couple days in space with those days docked to the International Space Station
02:20being what we call a handover period,
02:22where they learn to live and work on station from the crew that's about to leave.
02:26Now, the returning Crew 9 members today are NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sonny Williams,
02:31Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, which you see on your screen right there.
02:36Sonny and Butch spent 285 days on the International Space Station,
02:40where they conducted over 4,500 orbits and traveled more than 121 million statute miles.
02:49Nick and Alexander spent 170 days on the International Space Station,
02:53conducting over 2,700 orbits and traveling more than 72 million statute miles.
03:00The crew is currently suited, and the Dragon and station hatches are both sealed
03:04in preparation for Dragon's departure.
03:06Once Dragon departs the station, the crew's flight home is expected to last just around 17 hours.
03:12Shortly after separation, Dragon will use its Draco thrusters to move away from the station
03:16in a series of carefully choreographed maneuvers, also called departure burns,
03:20to increase the distance between the spacecraft and the space station.
03:24Dragon will also execute a phasing burn to lower its orbit
03:27and line the spacecraft up with its landing location.
03:30Following phasing, Dragon will complete deorbit, reentry, and splashdown.
03:35During the deorbit sequence, several events occur, including trunk separation,
03:39closure of the nose cone, a deorbit burn, deployment of the drogue and main parachutes,
03:45and finally splashdown.
03:47Dragon is targeted to splashdown off the coast of Florida on Tuesday, March 18,
03:51at approximately 2.57 p.m. Pacific, 5.57 p.m. Eastern,
03:56where it will be picked up by SpaceX recovery vessel Megan,
03:59and our recovery teams will help to egress or exit the crew from the Dragon spacecraft.
04:04And today on board the International Space Station is the Expedition 72 crew
04:09being led by the current space station commander, Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos.
04:14Last week, NASA astronaut Suni Williams handed over command of the space station
04:18to him ahead of her upcoming departure today.
04:21Also on board space station is NASA astronaut Don Pettit,
04:24as well as cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Yvonne Wagner,
04:27and, of course, the recently arrived Crew-10 astronauts.
04:30Now, just like its approach to the International Space Station,
04:34Dragon's departure and deorbit is designed to be fully autonomous,
04:38requiring no action from the crew on board.
04:41NASA astronaut Anne McClain helped the crew.
04:44Freedom, SpaceX. On the big loop, final reconfigurations for undock complete and nominal.
04:49Houston and Hawthorne teams have pulled go for undock sequence start at 0500 Zulu.
04:54I'm looking for you to confirm visors down and crew are ready for undock and departure at the planned time.
05:00And we did just hear confirmation that the team in mission control
05:15and the team in Hawthorne did pull go for undock and we might hear some continued communications.
05:20Freedom, visors are down and we are go for undock at the planned time.
05:28SpaceX copies, crew are configured for undock.
05:33And so that was the voice of NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who is the commander of Dragon,
05:38giving the confirmation that they heard the go.
05:41So good news, we are continuing to progress down the timeline today for an undocking at 10.05 p.m. Pacific time here in Hawthorne.
05:50Now, mission control in both Houston and Hawthorne will be backing them up today as we step through undocking.
05:56And speaking of mission control Houston, let's go over to the voice of NASA, Rob Navias at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
06:05to talk a bit about how the station crew have been preparing to send the crew home
06:10and what we can expect from here until Dragon departs station. Rob.
06:17Well, thank you, Sandra. It's been a busy morning so far.
06:20About two hours ago, the four departing Crew 9 crew members did gather in the Harmony module right at the passageway
06:28through International Docking Adapter Number 2, which connects Harmony with the Dragon Freedom.
06:34They had a final opportunity to say goodbye to one another, a final opportunity for the remaining crew members on the station,
06:41members of the Expedition 72 crew, to take photographs.
06:45As you see there, Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore were already suited up in their SpaceX entry suits.
06:52Once that was completed and the crew floated back into freedom, Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov also suited up.
07:00Now, just for the statistic freaks out there, we can tell you that Williams and Wilmore, whose mission, of course, was extended.
07:07They launched back on June 5th aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
07:11Last August, NASA decided to bring them home on the Dragon Freedom spacecraft with Crew 9.
07:18They will come home with a splashdown on Tuesday afternoon with 286 days in space,
07:24a mission encompassing 4,576 orbits of the Earth and 121.3 million miles.
07:32But just to put it into context, not the longest single space flights in U.S. history.
07:38That distinction belongs to Frank Rubio, who remained on the station for 371 days when his Soyuz spacecraft experienced a coolant leak.
07:47He's followed on the list by Mark VandeHei with 355 days, Scott Kelly with 340, Christina Koch with 328, and Peggy Whitson with 289 days in space.
08:00So although Williams and Wilmore have, in fact, had an extended mission, it's not a record-breaking mission.
08:06As we stand by for the final procedures to be encompassed here in mission control,
08:11you're looking at Flight Director Marcos Flores, who is the lead Crew 9 flight director here.
08:17To his right is spacecraft communicator Tess Caswell, who will be talking directly to the crew during the undocking phase
08:24and during the time the Dragon moves toward the approach ellipsoid, that mythical line in the sand,
08:30where we complete integrated operations and turn over everything to the folks in Hawthorne to bring Crew 9 home
08:37for its splashdown of the Gulf of America on Tuesday afternoon.
08:41With that, we'll turn it back to you guys in Hawthorne and stand by for undocking.
08:47Thanks so much, Rob.
08:49Thanks so much, Rob.
08:50So as you mentioned, we are standing by for separation, which is set to take place here in a little bit more than 10 minutes.
08:56We are tracking a 10.05 p.m. Pacific time, 1.05 a.m. Eastern time departure from the space station.
09:02And as we mentioned earlier, just like during its approach to the International Space Station,
09:07Dragon's departure and deorbit is designed to be fully autonomous, requiring no action from the crew on board.
09:14Departure is typically faster and a little bit easier since the crew won't have to stop at any waypoints,
09:20like we see when a spacecraft arrives to the space station.
09:23Once the undocking sequence is complete, Dragon will use its Draco thrusters to move away from the station
09:29in a series of four departure burns, which are carefully strategized maneuvers
09:33that increase the distance between the spacecraft and the space station.
09:37From there, a phasing burn will place Dragon on a trajectory to align it with the splashdown site.
09:42At the moment, the crew is suited up as they are during what we call dynamic phases of flight.
09:47And we did hear a call out a short time ago for the crew to go ahead and put their visors down
09:51ahead of the actual undocking itself.
09:54Before they depart the International Space Station, let's take a quick moment to get to know the crew
09:59we're bringing home today, tomorrow, for the splashdown, rather.
10:02U.S. Space Force Colonel Nick Haig is your Crew 9 commander.
10:06He was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2013.
10:10And this was his second spaceflight to the International Space Station and third launch overall.
10:15He spent 171 days in space with Crew 9 and has a career total of 374 days in space.
10:22During his mission, he completed a spacewalk with astronaut Sonny Williams.
10:26That was his fourth spacewalk, earning him a career total of 25 hours, 56 minutes of spacewalking time.
10:33Before Crew 9, Haig previously served as a crew member of Expedition 59 and 60 back in 2019.
10:41He flew with Alexei Ovchinin and NASA's Christina Koch.
10:44So this is actually his second time sharing the space station with Ovchinin.
10:48The Kansas native is a test pilot and distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.
10:54Nick spent five months in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
10:58And he voluntarily transferred from the United States Air Force to the U.S. Space Force in 2021.
11:04And he is an active colonel.
11:07His wife, Katie, is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and they have two sons.
11:13NASA astronaut Sonny Williams is a mission specialist for Crew 9.
11:17This was her third visit to the space station.
11:19She originally launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and arrived at the space station on June 6.
11:24Following the agency's decision to return Starliner uncrewed, she became an Expedition 7172 crew member.
11:32She logged 286 days in space on this mission.
11:36Sonny has a total of 608 days in space, earning her the ranking of second most time in space by a NASA astronaut.
11:43Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson ranks first with 675 days in space.
11:49Sonny conducted two spacewalks and has completed nine over the course of her career for a total of 62 hours and six minutes of spacewalking time.
11:57She ranks fourth on the list of cumulative time spacewalking by a NASA astronaut.
12:02Previously, she served on Expedition 14 and 15 in 2007 and again with Expedition 32 and 33 in 2012.
12:10She is a retired U.S. Navy captain and a proud graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
12:15Next up is NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who is also serving as a mission specialist today.
12:21This is his third spaceflight and just like Sonny, he logged 286 days in space.
12:26He conducted one spacewalk and has completed five over the course of his career, earning him a total spacewalking time of 21 hours, two minutes.
12:35He's flown on four different spacecraft throughout his career, Space Shuttle Atlantis, Soyuz, Boeing Starliner and now the SpaceX Dragon.
12:44Previously, the Mount Juliet, Tennessee native served on STS-129 in 2009 and Expedition 41 and 42 from 2014 to 2015.
12:55Wilmore is also a retired captain in the U.S. Navy.
13:00Alexander Gorbunov is the third mission specialist serving on today's mission.
13:04Crew 9 was his first spaceflight to the space station, earning him a total of 171 days in space over the course of his career.
13:11Gorbunov, along with Nick Hague, saw the arrival of four visiting vehicles and saw the departure of four as well.
13:17The duo orbited the Earth more than 2,700 times.
13:21Before his cosmonaut selection in 2018, Gorbunov worked as an engineer for a rocket space corporation and helped support cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
13:34There is an amazing amount of diversity and experience behind the crew coming home today.
13:40Yes, absolutely. And so we are targeting undocking today at 10.05 p.m. Pacific, just a few minutes here from now.
13:49There will be an undock command that is sent first. That is expected at 10.00 p.m. Pacific time.
13:55And then it'll take a few minutes for us to actually see the physical separation and everything.
14:00But we are getting views right now of Dragon Freedom.
14:03What you see on that black portion of your screen there is some of the solar rays that help collect power for the spacecraft that will remain intact during the phasing, which is about 17 hours for this particular flight.
14:15But before splashdown tomorrow afternoon, which we are targeting at 2.57 p.m. Pacific, that portion of Dragon will actually be jettisoned.
14:23So it'll just be the white portion that we'll see splashdown.
14:26But we're not quite there yet. First, we need to have the spacecraft undock.
14:30So, again, targeting undock at 10.05 p.m. Pacific time this evening.
14:37That's absolutely right, Sandra.
14:38So right now what we're doing on board Dragon is preparing for that undocking sequence to be commanded.
14:43Undocking from the space station basically involves separating the umbilicals and those attachment hooks that we use to dock Dragon to the space station.
14:51So we're effectively doing what we did during the docking procedure here, but in reverse.
14:55All of that in preparation for splashdown tomorrow.
15:07And right on schedule, we've got confirmation of that undocking sequence command.
15:13Here in Houston in Mission Control, we are now monitoring the demating of the umbilical.
15:22This is the mechanism that provided electrical power to the Dragon Freedom during the time it was docked to the zenith or space-facing port of the Harmony module.
15:33Originally, Freedom docked at the forward port of Harmony.
15:36And then back on November 3rd with Williams, Wilmore, Haig, and Gorbunov on board.
15:43Umbilical demate reported to be complete.
15:46As we stand by for the initiation of the opening of the hooks, two gangs of hooks, 12 hooks in all, holding Dragon to the docking port on the zenith side of Harmony.
15:57Again, Harmony was the port of call for Freedom initially when it arrived back in September, the forward port itself.
16:04It experienced a relocation maneuver with Haig, Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore on board back on November 3rd to move from the forward port to the zenith port.
16:14A short spin around the block to reposition that spacecraft where it has been mated and docked to the International Space Station since last November.
16:27Three and a half minutes away from physical separation.
16:34Once the physical separation occurs between Dragon and the docking port on Harmony, it will begin to move above the station at a very slow rate of about one-tenth of a meter per second.
16:59Then will move behind the station.
17:01A series of departure burns will then put it on a trajectory to carry it below the station and on its way to a safe distance away from the International Space Station for its deorbit burn that will occur at 4.11 p.m. Central time, 5.11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday afternoon to begin the final leg of the ride home for Williams, Wilmore, Haig, and Gorbunov.
17:31Two and a half minutes to go until physical separation.
17:39All systems reported to be in great shape.
17:41The latest weather forecast off the coast of Florida at the splashdown sites indicates pristine weather for the arrival of the Crew-9 crew on Tuesday afternoon.
17:52The first gang of hooks has opened, standing by for the second.
17:59Springs on both sides of the docking interface will push off against one another to initiate that opening rate for Dragon.
18:21Ninety seconds until physical separation.
18:34Heading into the home stretch for Williams and Wilmore, the beginning of the end for a nine-and-a-half-month mission in space.
18:42The interface between Dragon and the International docking adapter no longer sealed.
19:11The International Space Station and Dragon flying from southwest to northeast across the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 261 statute miles.
19:41All hooks open.
20:02All hooks are open.
20:06And undocking confirmed.
20:10Freedom is free of its moorings.
20:13Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore begin their belated trip home.
20:26Undocking occurring right on time at 12.05 a.m. Central time, 1.05 a.m. Eastern time.
20:43Good motion, good stability on Dragon as it backs away.
20:46Freedom, SpaceX on the big loop, depart burn zero nominal.
20:56That's the opening rate reported by the visiting vehicle officer.
21:23Control system functioning as advertised.
21:32Freedom on the big loop.
21:34On behalf of crew nine, I'd like to say it was a privilege to call station home, to live and work and be a part of a mission and a team that spans the globe,
21:46working together in cooperation for the benefit of humanity.
21:51To our colleagues and dear friends who remain on the station, Alex, Dan, Dave Ruttot, Gryll, we know the station's in great hands.
22:03We're excited to see what you guys are going to accomplish, and we'll be waiting for you.
22:09Crew nine's going home.
22:22Station on the big loop.
22:24Step two ISS thrusters are verified, enabled.
22:28To crew nine, safe journey home.
22:30It's been the honor of a lifetime to cross your path up here on space station.
22:34Your service has been very much appreciated, and we'll miss you, but have a great journey home.
22:52Hey, crew nine, and this is Zach.
22:54I wish we could spend more time with you guys, but many people who love you and whom you love are waiting for you, so safe travel.
23:05Godspeed.
23:11For crew arrival, we ring a bell in Navy tradition, and for crew nine, I did a baritone salute as you undocked.
23:26I love you guys.
23:44So in exchange of poignant words between the Dragon commander, Nick Haig, as well as the crew 10 crew, the newly arrived crew 10 crew members,
23:55Anne McClain, Takoya Onishi, and Don Pettit offering their best wishes and Godspeed for a safe return to Earth on Tuesday afternoon for the quartet aboard the Dragon Freedom.
24:44Dragon continues an opening rate away from the Zenith port of the Harmony module of the International Space Station,
25:07the opening occurring just about five minutes ago at 12.05 a.m. Central time, 1.05 a.m. Eastern time.
25:14Now, coming up here in the next minute or so will be the spacecraft's exit from what is called the keepout sphere.
25:21That is the first imaginary line between the space station and the departure corridor for the Dragon itself.
25:30That will be followed by Dragon maneuvering to a sun communications pointing orientation and to enable better communications between the tracking and data relay satellite system and Dragon's communications capability itself.
25:44The approach ellipsoid exit, that basically is the end of integrated operations where Dragon will cross that imaginary line to move beyond the neighborhood of the station, as it were, is scheduled about 14 minutes from now.
26:00The departure one burn now complete, all nominal.
26:15That's a good read back, Freedom.
26:41With all the Freedom thrusters operating in perfect fashion, the acknowledgement by the spacecraft communicator and Hawthorne to Commander Nick Haig aboard Freedom that the crew has been given the go-ahead to get out of their entry suits for the time being,
27:00get into more comfortable clothing as Dragon continues its traverse away from the International Space Station.
27:07This will continue throughout the course of the overnight hours into tomorrow afternoon, a series of pre-programmed maneuvers that will enable Freedom to be in a position for its deorbit burn on Tuesday afternoon.
27:22That deorbit burn is scheduled to take place at 4.11 p.m. Central time, 5.11 p.m. Eastern time.
27:32It will be a seven-minute, 29-second braking maneuver to enable Dragon to slip out of orbit, its velocity slowed by 53.2 meters per second, enabling it to begin its high-speed entry back through Earth's atmosphere and a parachute-assisted splashdown off the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of America at 4.57 p.m. Central, 5.57 p.m. Eastern time.
28:02Station and Houston, on the big loop, Dragon has executed the keep-out sphere.
28:27Freedom, SpaceX, on the big loop, Dragon has exited the approach ellipsoid and is on a 24-hour safe free-drift path. Configure comm for Dragon to ground in preparation for big loop deactivation.
28:57Freedom, SpaceX, on the big loop, premature call, we have exited the keep-out sphere but are still in the approach ellipsoid.
29:28SpaceX, Freedom, come check on a hidden life.
29:33Freedom, we have you loud and clear, how us?
29:40With Dragon having crossed the keep-out sphere, next major milestone will be the exiting of the approach ellipsoid to depart the neighborhood of the station.
29:49With that, we'll toss it for the moment back to Hawthorne and Veronica and Sandra.
29:57Thanks so much, Rob.
29:58As Rob just mentioned, we are now waiting for Dragon to exit the approach ellipsoid, also known as AE, which is another imaginary shape.
30:06This time a three-dimensional ellipsoid measuring four kilometers by two kilometers by two kilometers in the same family as the keep-out sphere.
30:14It's one of several safety zones set up to govern visiting spacecraft either arriving or departing the station.
30:20Before moving into the keep-out sphere or the approach ellipsoid, spacecraft have to be configured where they would not cross the imaginary boundary for a set period of time, even if the spacecraft lost all maneuvering.
30:33That's right, and that approach ellipsoid, once we get past that milestone, will be something that we call the end of integrated operations.
30:43Integrated operations means that we are talking to each other on the big loop, so we did hear those communications back and forth.
30:49The big loop is essentially not only the crew on the International Space Station, the crew in Dragon, but also both Mission Control Houston and in Hawthorne, hence the name the big loop,
31:00because they're all working together to make sure that they have common communications during some of these dynamic portions of flight.
31:08Again, we are standing by for approach ellipsoid exit at 10.24 p.m. Pacific time.
31:14On your screen there, we are getting a view of Dragon from the International Space Station, now quite a bit smaller than when we just saw a few minutes ago, undocking at 10.05 p.m. Pacific.
31:25Also, in the line of sight there, we have a small view of the Canada arm, which is a robotic arm that helps do some maneuvering and is utilized a lot during spacewalks onboard the International Space Station.
31:37So, to recap, the hatches between the International Space Station and Dragon were closed earlier today at 8.05 p.m. Pacific, 11.05 p.m. Eastern.
31:46Since then, the crew has settled in and is working to take off their spacesuits for their 17-hour journey back to Earth.
31:54The joint NASA and SpaceX teams did, of course, pull go to proceed with undocking, and that undocking command was then sent at 10.10 p.m. Pacific,
32:04followed by umbilical retraction and hooks opening, with physical separation taking place at 10.05 p.m. Pacific,
32:11as the Space Station and Dragon were traveling 261 statute miles off the coast of Guam over the Pacific Ocean.
32:18Dragon then completed two of four departure burns and has exited the keepout sphere,
32:24and we are now just minutes away from Dragon crossing the approach ellipsoid to set the spacecraft and Crew-9 up for their path back to Earth.
32:34Again, Dragon is targeting to splash down off the coast of Florida in the Gulf at 2.57 p.m. Pacific, 5.57 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, March 18th,
32:46marking the completion of a long-duration science and research mission.
32:54Great views right now on your screen of mission control here in Hawthorne, California.
33:08It looks like we're starting to get maybe some views there of Dragon as well.
33:12These views are being controlled by one of the flight controllers in Mission Control Houston called Cronus,
33:18and they help to make sure that the cameras are in position to view not only visiting vehicles that are arriving and departing,
33:25but also help to ensure that cameras are in position to get great Earth views,
33:30ensure that perhaps if we're flying over a natural disaster like a hurricane or a wildfire,
33:36they are ensuring that those great cameras onboard the International Space Station are being put to good use
33:42to capture all of the science and research that we can aboard the Microgravity Laboratory.
33:47And, you know, fun fact, actually, the International Space Station will be celebrating 25 years of continuous human presence this November.
33:55So if you are younger than 25 years old, you have never known a day in your life
33:59where there was not a human being living and working aboard the International Space Station.
34:04That is so cool to me. It's just this amazing step forward for human exploration in space.
34:14And with that, we're going to check back in with Rob Navias at the Johnson Space Center one more time.
34:19Go ahead, Rob.
34:24Thank you, Sandra.
34:25You mentioned that continuous presence onboard the International Space Station.
34:29We are approaching the point of the approach ellipsoid exit,
34:32which will mark the end of integrated operations with the International Space Station and the flight control team here in Houston.
34:38Just a reminder, onboard, seven crew members representing three nations,
34:43Alexei Ovchinin, the station commander, and his Roscosmos colleagues,
34:47Ivan Vagner and Kirill Peskov, Anne McClain, Nicole Ayres, and Don Pettit of NASA,
34:53and Takoya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
34:58Ovchinin, Vagner, and Pettit are next up to depart the station on April 19.
35:05They are scheduled to return home to the steppe of Kazakhstan in a parachute-assisted landing on April 19 U.S. time,
35:14April 20 in Kazakhstan.
35:16Before that happens, another NASA astronaut, Johnny Kim, along with two Roscosmos cosmonauts,
35:22will be launching from Baikonur on April 8,
35:25as that continuous presence of researchers onboard the International Space Station continues unbroken.
35:32Sandra?
35:41And thank you so much, Rob, for that update.
35:43We really appreciate you joining us here as you spent your evening in Mission Control Houston.
35:49Again, we are continuing to get these views following dragons undocking from the International Space Station
35:54at 10.05 p.m. Pacific time.
35:57That sets us up for a splashdown tomorrow afternoon at 2.57 p.m. Pacific time off the coast of Florida.
36:10And so we did mention that the crew was busy with a lot of science and research investigations
36:15during their time onboard the International Space Station.
36:18That really is the whole point of the International Space Station,
36:21is to conduct science and research investigations,
36:25eventually leading to longer-duration missions to the moon and then on to Mars.
36:35We are, of course, standing by for any further communications from Crew 9 onboard Dragon Freedom at this time.
36:41But it's a great opportunity for us to comment on some of the amazing science that Crew 9 conducted
36:46while they were onboard the station.
36:48In total, Crew 9 completed more than 150 experiments, conducting over 900 hours of research.
36:55Following their splashdown tomorrow, some of those time-sensitive experiments
36:58will be among the first offloaded off the capsule
37:02across the country so that the science can continue.
37:07And in addition to that science, they also completed a few spacewalks,
37:11one of which was to actually swab the outside of the International Space Station for microorganisms
37:17to see if anything might potentially be able to survive the harsh environment of space,
37:22which is pretty interesting.
37:24Another one was a spacewalk to remove a radiofrequency group, or the RFG,
37:29NASA astronaut Sonny Williams was able to successfully remove that, which was a big milestone for NASA.
37:36And as you mentioned, over 530 hours specifically dedicated to NASA science
37:47between NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams.
37:50So that just goes to show the great use that the Microgravity Lab has for science and research on the ground.
37:59I still can't get over that fact that you shared that it has been almost 25 years of continuous operation onboard the ISS.
38:06That's amazing.
38:07Yes, over 270 people.
38:14Go ahead, Anne.
38:29Copy, 1-7.
38:35I just want to clarify, also on 17, I did a whole sub-series of kind of inspection documentation photos before departure
38:42and then a series after departure purveyed instructions.
38:46So two different folders with before and after photos.
38:51We copy.
38:58And that was the voice of NASA astronaut Anne McClain who is still onboard the International Space Station
39:04stepping through procedures with the ground to wrap up after undocking,
39:08taking some photography of the hatch that the team on the ground will inspect,
39:13make sure everything checks out just fine.
39:16So we are awaiting the confirmation that crew Dragon Freedom has exited the approach ellipsoid.
39:23We're expecting that here in just a couple of seconds here, really.
39:28So we might hear that call out here shortly.
39:32And again, if you're just joining us, the approach ellipsoid is a three-dimensional ellipsoid
39:36measuring four kilometers by two kilometers by two kilometers in the same family as the keep-out sphere.
39:41One of the key differences with the AE is that vehicles outside of it have to be on what we call a 24-hour safe, free drift trajectory,
39:49which means that the spacecraft would not cross into the approach ellipsoid for at least 24 hours again,
39:55even if it lost all maneuvering.
40:02That's exactly right.
40:03So we'll continue to stand by for that.
40:06Now, you may be wondering, what will the crew be doing during their 17-hour phasing?
40:10You did hear the call out earlier that they had to go to doff or take off their spacesuits.
40:14So they'll get settled in, have the opportunity to have a meal and try and get some sleep before their targeted splashdown off the coast of Florida
40:23tomorrow afternoon at 2.57 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow afternoon.
40:28So we are looking forward to seeing them splashdown off the coast of Florida tomorrow.
40:34So continue to stand by for that approach ellipsoid exit.
40:38You should be hearing the call out any moment now.
40:41And that will really end the portion of integrated operations between the space station, Dragon, Hawthorne, Mission Control and Mission Control Houston as well.
40:53Freedom, SpaceX on the big loop.
40:55Dragon has now exited the approach ellipsoid and is on a 24-hour safe free drift path.
41:00Please make sure that comm is configured for Dragon to ground.
41:08And SpaceX, Freedom on Dragon to ground.
41:10I understand we're out of the approach ellipsoid.
41:1324-hour, Freedom.
41:34Good confirmation.
41:36Good confirmations there both from Mission Control and Dragon.
41:45And again, we did hear confirmation that Dragon, Freedom has now exited the approach ellipsoid or AE, which is that imaginary shape that's three-dimensional ellipsoid measuring four kilometers by two kilometers by two kilometers in the same family as the keepout sphere.
42:02So one of the key differences with the AE is that vehicles outside of it have to be on what we call that 24-hour safe free drift trajectory.
42:09This means that the spacecraft would not cross into the approach ellipsoid for at least 24 hours again, even if it lost all maneuvering.
42:21With that, Crew 9 has officially departed the International Space Station.
42:24As Sandra mentioned, it will take them about 17 hours until they make their way back to Earth.
42:29So the crew is currently settling, as Sandra mentioned, for a little bit of dinner or maybe get their suits off before they take some time to rest before returning to Earth.
42:38Dragon is, of course, targeted to splash down off the coast of Florida tomorrow at 5.57 p.m. Eastern, 2.57 p.m. Pacific on March 18th, followed by the crew getting picked up at sea by a SpaceX recovery vessel.
42:51As they rest up, our teams here will continue to keep an eye on the weather to ensure a safe return for Dragon and our Crew 9 astronauts.
42:58And though our coverage here in Hawthorne today is wrapping up for now, we will turn it over to the NASA team in Houston to take us through the next phases of the Crew 9 mission.
43:08Our friends at the Johnson Space Center will provide continuous live audio-only coverage along Crew 9's journey home until we rejoin tomorrow.
43:17You can find the audio-only link by visiting nasa.gov slash live and clicking the mission audio link or by searching for NASA mission audio live feed on YouTube at go.nasa.gov slash live ISS.
43:31Meanwhile, we'll rejoin you for live visual coverage starting roughly one hour prior to splashdown at 1.45 p.m. Pacific.
43:39As always, you can find mission updates on X at NASA at SpaceX and on the web at nasa.gov.
43:44Thanks so much for watching. We'll see you and our Crew 9 astronauts soon.
43:49Don't miss out. Log on to OneIndia.com for more updates.