The Ocean’s Role in Space Exploration: Bringing Astronauts Back to Earth
The ocean has been a humanities gateway of exploration for centuries. It has guided the explorers to search for new lands and make discoveries.
However, as we shifted our gaze from the ocean to space, the ocean has remained an integral part of the journey.
This time, as the landing site for the SpaceX capsule for the safe return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore who went to space for a quick test mission on Boeing’s Starliner were stranded in the (ISS) International Space Station for a brief period of 9 months (approx) as NASA had to return the starliner due to system malfunction without the duo.
Their departure from ISS was further delayed by a month as the SpaceX capsule sent to retrieve them also malfunctioned.
But, finally, on 18th March they returned to Earth through a massive splashdown near Florida.
For quite some decades the sea has served as the most efficient and the most trusted landing zone, and the seafarers have played a vital role in bringing the astronauts home.
The tradition of splashdown landings began in the 1960s when the space engineers determined that landing in the water is much safer than attempting to land on the hard ground.
Splashdown started with NASA’s exclusive missions such as Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. The vast and cushion-like expanse of the ocean allows the spacecraft to land by minimizing the risks for the astronauts.
This presented another challenge, which was the retrieval of the astronauts from the ocean.
This is where the naval officers and maritime engineers became an integral part of space missions, thereby ensuring the safe return of the astronauts to the land.
Today, even with the advancements in technology, splashdown remains a preferred method to land. Hence, the ocean continues to serve as a reliable landing zone.
Throughout history, naval officers and maritime rescue teams are the first to welcome the astronauts back to earth, ensuring safe extraction and providing them with immediate medical assistance.
Hence, the maritime community remains the most efficient pillar of support in space missions.
There is something very poetic about the connection between sailors and the astronauts as they both venture into the unknown relying on the other.
Sailors once relied on the stars to guide them, as the astronauts now rely on them to retrieve them from the ocean.
No matter how far the technology advances, the ocean always remains the most trusted element. Ocean gives us a great reminder that every great adventure, no matter how long, always finds its way back home.