NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1: Astronauts answer questions after return to Earth

Washington: Four astronauts precisely come back from the International Space Station portrayed on Thursday their reentry into Earth’s air and ocean splashdown after more than 160 days in space.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the group back to Earth spattered down off Florida early Sunday in NASA’s, prime nighttime sea landing in more than 50 years.

“There was a point where I was just saying to myself, breath. Inhale, because I felt really heavy — I felt like those cartoons when they experience G and your face is just sagging down,” said American Victor Glover, one of the astronauts in the group called Crew-1.

It was the first well-organized mission to be taken and after that returned from the ISS aboard a spacecraft built by billionaire Elon Musk’s company.

“I expected it to be so dynamic — and so challenging — that the actual event I think, was a little less than what I was expecting, and so it was enjoyable all around,” Glover said.

The weight of increasing speed was concentrated within the chest, making it troublesome to breathe.

But then, “launch and entry are such unique experiences,” he said.

NASA has contracted SpaceX from US soil to launch astronauts into space, something that has not been conceivable since 2011 with the end of the space shuttle program.

From that time until now NASA was constrained to pay for rides to the ISS onboard Russian Soyuz vessels, which arrive on dry land.

“Landing in the water was interesting because none of us really knew what to expect, but I would say from my standpoint, it felt a little bit softer than landing on land,” said US astronaut Shannon Walker.

“You spend less time under a parachute on the Dragon than you do under the Soyuz,” he said.

Soon, space “tourists” — civilians who are not proficient space explorers — will take their places on Dragon.

US astronaut Mike Hopkins believes that space visitors will be able to handle the harsh reentry rides.

After the civilians go through some centrifuge preparing “it’s not going to be completely unique to them,” he said.