SpaceX’s Dragon capsule splashes down, safely returning the Polaris Dawn crew to Earth
DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The Polaris Dawn crew is back on Earth early Sunday morning.
The crew's SpaceX Dragon capsule safely splashed down off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida just after 3:30am Eastern after nearly five days on orbit.
The landmark mission, organized and commanded by billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, included the first-ever private civilian spacewalk and marked the furthest space flight since the Apollo 17 moon mission more than a half-century ago.
It also makes crew members sarah gillis and anna memon the most well-traveled women in history.
During the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew tested a new space suit to protect astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures and tried out a new high speed internet system.
