28,000 Kmph, 1,600 Degrees: Fireball Test Before Sunita Williams Landed

New Delhi, : A Dragon spacecraft bringing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home after nine months in space splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5.57 pm (3.27 am IST). Shortly after, 59-year-old Williams and 62-year-old Wilmore were brought out of the spacecraft, smiling and waving, as the world cheered. NASA’s Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov accompanied them on the 17-hour journey home. But these moments of joy were preceded by hours during which the astronauts — and the world – – had their fingers crossed. And the last leg was the most tricky when SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere. At this point, the capsule is travelling at speeds going up to 28,800 kmph. The friction this creates takes the temperatures of its outer casing to about 1,600 degrees Celsius, with heat shields protecting the occupants inside. So, the cheers to celebrate Sunita Williams’ homecoming came only after the spacecraft turned a ball of fire entering the atmosphere and heading for a splash in the ocean. Docked at the International Space Station, the
Dragon spacecraft is in a state of nearvacuum. Following a series of departure burns, it moved away from the station and began its journey home. As it enters Earth’ atmosphere, high friction is created, pushing the temperatures up significantly, as high as 1,600 degrees. The SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is equipped with a heatresistant casing of Phenolic-Impregnated Carbon Ablator of PICA

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