Touchdown: Update
Touchdown: Update
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| Splashdown of The Dragon Freedom Cited from The Print |
Hello Readers!
After nine long months aboard the International Space Station, the spacecraft Dragon Freedom returned, to the astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore.
Their visit to space was initially planned for only eight days, but technical malfunctions in the new Starliner spacecraft forced them to spend nine months on the ISS.
NASA partnered with Boeing to create the Starliner spacecraft in 2019 when it had undergone missions without a crew. On 5th June 2024, its maiden manned mission commenced, taking Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore to the ISS. The Starliner docked with the space station the next day.
However, the crew faced issues with the control thrusters due to performance degradation and helium leaks. The Starliner returned to Earth on 6th September 2024 without carrying the astronauts back. They spent nine months along with other astronauts waiting for another transport capsule to arrive.
Finally, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore returned to Earth in SpaceX's capsule Dragon Freedom which initially was sent to retrieve two other astronauts, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Grebyonkin from the International Space Station.
Long times in space could potentially impair the body's physique. The human body had evolved to survive under the gravitational pull of the Earth. Therefore in space, the bone density could decrease, resulting in weaker bones.
Astronauts aboard the ISS were forced to exercise regularly to prevent degeneracy in their limbs. Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore would have to undertake rehabilitation programmes on Earth before they could return to their normal lives.
All throught human history we have tried to discover the unknown. Explorers sailed into the unknown in hopes of discovering something new, despite the grave dangers they encountered. Space Travel is no such exception.
Instead of being daunted by the risks faced by astronauts, we must learn from our mistakes and begin to explore our stellar neighbourhood.
You may check out Artemis 1: Update for more advancements in rocketry. In the upcoming post we shall see how a particular contemporary nation of the twenty-first century began construction of its own space station.
This is where I will conclude my post.
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Thank you for reading!
Aditya VN Kadiyala
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