Dragon Return from ISS Re-Scheduled for Tuesday A.M.

Goodbye Tuesday
Credit : SpaceX

NASA Press Release:

More than three weeks after arriving at the International Space Station, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now scheduled for Tuesday, March 26. Dragon’s return date, originally scheduled for March 25, was postponed due to inclement weather developing near its targeted splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean. The additional day spent attached to the orbiting laboratory will not affect science samples scheduled to return aboard the spacecraft. NASA Television will provide coverage of Dragon’s departure beginning at 4 a.m. EDT.

The actual removal of Dragon from the space station begins at 4:05am, with release scheduled for 7:06am. Dragon will conduct a series of engine burns to take it away from the space station with the third and final departure burn taking place around 7:16am. NASA TV coverage will conclude once Dragon leaves the vicinity of the space station.

Dragon’s deorbit burn will take place approximately 11:40am with splashdown scheduled for 12:36pm about 246 miles off the coast of Baja California. Dragon will take about 30 hours to return to port, at which point several critical science samples will be handed over to NASA for a return trip back to Houston that day.

For the latest on the mission, continue visiting http://www.nasa.gov/station or http://www.spacex.com