‘The last time American astronauts returned from space with a splashdown in the ocean, there was no social media to cover it. One question on Sunday was whether spacewatchers in Florida would be close enough to see the capsule descend to the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola.
The answer? So far, apparently not.
Except for those who were in the water onboard the official rescue vessels, watchers in Florida who saw the SpaceX Dragon float to the Gulf were watching on television.
It was an historic moment, wherever one watched.
Some watched from the beaches and hoped. But they kept an eye on TV or the livestream on their phones.
The crew of the Go Navigator were positioned to pick up the astronauts after the capsule landed in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacala on the Florida panhandle.
Other boats in the area were warned to stay away from the landing zone, but some apparently tried to get a closer look.
SpaceX was watching closely.
Some TV watchers dressed up to watch.
Former President Barack Obama was following the mission.
The NASA boss sent a nice note. So did the folks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Even the U.S. Space Force was watching. The main complaint from the public? After brilliant and stunning photos from the mission in space, and even from inside the capsule during descent, the video of the parachute drop into the Gulf looked like it was taken through a tea strainer.
The local newspaper in Pensacola posted a Welcome message.
The Penscola tourism agency had a question for the crew, NASA and SpaceX.
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