SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Interesting side note to the SpaceX capsule recovery.
Boaters gatecrash SpaceX's 1st splashdown with astronauts. 'We need to do better,' NASA chief says.:
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida Sunday (Aug. 2), returning astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to Earth after their historic Demo-2 test flight. But shortly after that splashdown, private boats swarmed the space capsule, apparently hoping for a closer look.
"That was not what we were anticipating," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a post-splashdown briefing. "After they landed, the boats just came in. We need to do a better job next time for sure."
[...] Bridenstine said the U.S. Coast Guard did clear the landing zone ahead of the splashdown, and the landing itself had no issues. The SpaceX recovery ship Go Navigator recovered the capsule about 30 minutes after splashdown, but not before the private boats arrived.
"That capsule was in the water for a good amount of time and those boats just made a beeline for it," Bridenstine said. "There are things that we're going to look at, that we need to do better at, for sure."
SpaceX recovery crews in fast boats worked to push back the encroaching boaters. Still, the private boats could be seen in an arc around SpaceX's Go Navigator as the retrieval team plucked the capsule from the sea.
"The lesson learned here is that we probably need more Coast Guard assets,and maybe more SpaceX and NASA assets as well," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in the post-splashdown briefing. "This was a demonstration mission. This is the time that you go learn about these things, and we'll certainly be better prepared next time."
Previously:
(2020-08-02) Demo-2 Astronauts Safely Splashdown in Gulf of Mexico
(2020-08-01) More Quickly than Anyone Expected, NASA Embraces Reuse for Human Flights
(2020-05-30) Today WAS the Day -- Crew Demo 2 Launch Successful -- Heading to ISS [Updated]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 05 2020, @10:38PM (16 children)
They used to splash down in deep water. Until the shuttles, which landed inside of bases. But, all the old NASA shots came down in deep water. SpaceX should question their decision to locate in the gulf, which is not especially deep, and surrounded by fishing and pleasure boaters.
Maybe they can overshoot Florida, and land in deeper waters in the Atlantic? I never saw rowboats, canoes, or dinghys out in deep water. They can get pretty much the same Coast Guard assets in the Atlantic, plus the Navy is more likely to respond.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday August 05 2020, @11:05PM (13 children)
I'm not sure I see what the problem is.
The Coast Guard cleared the area, and the capsule splashed down without landing on anyone, then a bunch of curious boaties came over to get a selfie with the capsule in it.
Where's the harm exactly?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 05 2020, @11:10PM
》 where's the harm exactly?
Probably in their DNA
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 05 2020, @11:41PM
Not enough social distancing. ;)
(Score: 2) by Username on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:00AM (4 children)
If it sank and they got in the way. Divers getting hit by propellers. ITAR information getting out. Space alien virus?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:54AM (2 children)
It sounds like the locals were on the scene first, so if it sank they would be the rescuers, but yes I'm sure SpaceX don't want a bunch of people hanging about and getting in the way, which seems fair.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 06 2020, @03:07AM (1 child)
If the capsule hits the water hard enough to break and start sinking, would the occupants be alive at that point?
As for the boaters, there were toxic fumes (leftover SuperDraco propellant, I think) being emanated from the capsule.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Username on Thursday August 06 2020, @02:52PM
Hitting too hard isn't the problem. The problem is that it's a spacecraft, not a boat. Only thing holding them afloat are those giant inflatable rubber duckies on the side.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @08:16AM
Something like this giant bird electrical discharge? https://mobile.twitter.com/Onebtcer/status/1290339189515366405 [twitter.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @01:09AM (1 child)
I imagine it is no fun bobbing around violently inside the capsule if boaters are inconsiderate enough to cause wakes. And a larger craft colliding with the capsule could perhaps cause deaths-- remember, a percentage greater than 0 of these boat pilots are drunk.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @01:35AM
Drunk, and flying Trump 2020 flags. Definitely deplorables rich enough to be dangerous.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Thursday August 06 2020, @05:14AM (3 children)
The splashed capsule still has highly toxic hypergolic fuel which could potentially leak.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Thursday August 06 2020, @06:37AM (2 children)
So the worst that could happen is that SpaceX also rids us of some idiots, is that what you're trying to tell us?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @05:53PM
Rids America of some idiots. I'm afraid you're stuck with yours unless you can convince them to emigrate.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 07 2020, @12:36AM
And then gets sued for 'wrongful death' because their rocket isn't made of bubble-wrap.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:05AM
> Maybe they can overshoot Florida, and land in deeper waters in the Atlantic?
They have a recovery ship in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic side of Florida. They went with the Gulf for this one because of a Tropical Storm on the Atlantic side.
This time it really didn't matter that boats came to gawk, they stayed back until it splashed down then came for a look. No real harm. Longer term, allowing that sort of thing is asking for trouble, we live in an insane world now.
(Score: 3, Informative) by barbara hudson on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:05AM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.