The splashdown is set for 2:48 p.m. EDT (1948 GMT) off the coast of Pensacola, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. The splashdown will be historic in its own right because it will mark the first water landing since 1975, when the NASA astronauts on the joint Apollo-Soyuz test mission returned home.
The safe return from the Internatio0nal Space Station will also pave the way for the united States to once again become a world leader in human spaceflight. And while all eyes will be on watching the Crew Dragon Endeavor return to Earth, two young boys will be awaiting the return of their dads.
Behnken’s son Theo, age 6, and Hurley’s son Jack, 10, woke their space dads today with an adorable wake up call from Earth, reports Space.com.
“Good morning, Dragon Endeavour,” said Jack in the wake up call at 7:40 a.m. EDT (1140 GMT). “I’m happy you went into space, but I’m even happier that you’re coming back home.”
“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up. Hey, Wake Up!” Theo added. “Don’t worry you can sleep in tomorrow. Hurry home so we can go get my dog!”
Photobomb! pic.twitter.com/JdVPbjERn1
— Tremor The Apatosaurus (@TApatosaurus) June 1, 2020
The two astronauts were delighted to get the morning wake up call from their sons. They will be returning a toy dinosaur, Tremor the Apatasaurus, to Earth for their boys. They used it as a zero-g indicator for their flight.
“Thank you especially to Jack and to Theo for that wake up call,” Behnken radioed SpaceX’s mission control center in Hawthorne, California. “Hopefully the pressure’s all on whoever is making the weather call because those boys seem excited to bring us home.”
A safe homecoming is crucial because this return to Earth is still part of the final test for the SpaceX Frew Dragon capsule. Both men are veteran NASA astronauts and test pilots specifically trained to respond to any technical issues that may arise on the new vehicle, and NASA won’t officially certify Crew Dragon as a human-rated spacecraft until it makes a safe return, according to CNN.
