For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM
PORT CANAVERAL/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – The ‘flight-proven’ SpaceX Falcon 9 booster that successfully launched the NASA ESA quartet of Crew-3 multinational astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on a spectacular Wednesday evening Nov. 10 liftoff and landed eight minutes later on a company droneship, returned to Port Canaveral, Florida four days later Sunday evening, Nov. 14, for a rare and positively stunning nighttime arrival.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 arrival comes on the heels just 36 hours after the arrival of the NASA SpaceX Crew-2 Crew Dragon spacecraft into Port Saturday morning, Nov. 13, which in turn arrived just 1 hour before launch of SpaceX’s Starlink 4-1 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station pad 40 – demonstrating nonstop relentless SpaceX Space exploration action all week long !!
A small but dedicated crowd of lucky spectators, space fans, and space media were thrilled and delighted to witness and cheer on the absolutely magnificent arrival of the recycled Falcon 9 first stage booster designated B1067 into Port Canaveral Sunday evening following the propulsive guided landing upright on the droneship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ (ASOG).
The 15 story tall Falcon 9 B1067.2 booster standing fully erect with all four landing legs deployed was towed into the mouth of Port Canaveral by Jetty Park Pier at about 8 p.m. ET by the relatively new SpaceX support ‘Doug’ – atop another Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
#Crew3 recovered @spacex #Falcon9 booster has entered @PortCanaveral towed by Doug . Simple cell phone shot for now pic.twitter.com/pEeOROpsMt
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
‘Doug’ is named to honor veteran NASA Astronaut Doug Hurley who flew to space on the history making Demo-2 mission last year in May 2020 – finally resuming US human spaceflight from US soil after a way too long hiatus following the forced shutdown of NASA’s Space Shuttle program after the final mission STS-135 in July 2011.
Soon Doug, Falcon 9 and ASOG were sailing past docked pleasure boats by around 815 p.m. Sunday night.
#crew3 @spacex recovered #Falcon9 towed by Doug at 830 pm in @PortCanaveral pic.twitter.com/IJHCypNWUy
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
Be sure to check out our Falcon 9 B1067 ASOG and Doug arrival photos from Nov. 14 from the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright.
Spectators watch #Crew3 recovered @spacex #Falcon9 now berthing guided by Doug into normal cargo pier at 9pm this evening @PortCanaveral – just a few days after launch #pad39a @NASAKennedy pic.twitter.com/wSPmsoaOe6
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
We watched ‘Doug’ tow the Falcon 9 on ASOG from several vantage points along the Port Canaveral channel Sunday evening
We're basking in stunning nighttime glow literally of just returned #Crew3 recovered #SpaceX #Falcon9 booster B1067 landed atop ASOG droneship as it berthed at north cargo pier about 9 PM. Rare night return @PortCanaveral. Launched Nov 10. Thx to Laura Ricci for taking photo pic.twitter.com/zgYT30RRq5
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
Also check out our Crew-2 Crew Dragon arrival photos from 1 day earlier.
The 156 foot tall first stage B1067 plus 6 feet for all four deployed landing legs had successfully soft-landed on the ASOG (ASOG) drone ship as planned some eight and a half minutes after liftoff off the coast of the Carolinas – making 86 successfully booster landings overall
The Falcon 9 flew on a northeasterly trajectory from pad 39A.
After stage separation at two minutes and six seconds the booster flipped around and refired its engines twice for a entry and landing burns to make a precision guided landing by re-liting the center Marlin engine for a propulsive touchdown on the ocean going ASOG platform.
Doug and Falcon 9 arrived for berthing at SpaceX’s normal spot at North Cargo Pier 6 by about 8:45 pm. ET Sunday evening and then complete the evenings work docking at port around 9 p.m.
Along the way we captured wide and zoomed nighttime views of the spectacular scenery with Falcon 9 booster, landing legs, engines, Doug and ASOG.
Landing legs UpClose seq:Sun nite Nov14 marks rare F9 nite return @PortCanaveral–#NASA #SpaceX #Crew3 recov #Falcon9 booster B1067 land atop ASOG droneship entered channel towed by support ship Doug)named in honor of astronaut Doug Hurley) ca 820PM. Berths north cargo pier ca 9PM pic.twitter.com/lonFZr2Wmv
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
Although showing sign of sootiness this booster is still relatively clean after flying to space and back for only its second mission.
Doug was utilized for the first time for booster return operations.
Sun nite Nov14 marks rare F9 nighttime return @PortCanaveral–#NASA #SpaceX #Crew3 recov #Falcon9 booster B1067 landed atop ASOG droneship entered channel towed by support ship Doug (named in honor of astronaut Doug Hurley) ca 820PM. Berths north cargo pier ca 9PM. Wide view seq pic.twitter.com/Ck7HSRAvpl
— Ken Kremer🇺🇦🇩🇪🇺🇸🚀🧪 (@ken_kremer) November 15, 2021
Falcon 9 booster processing activities resumed Monday morning, Nov. 15 with the crane crew leading the efforts.
The SpaceX crane crews worked on readying the landing legs for raising by attaching the booster & legs hoisting cap first and then working on the mobile octagrabber device holding the booster upright until release.
The right-side landing leg was raised first by the crane crew team on Monday, Nov. 15 at about 4 p.m. ET
Check out our follow up story and photos for complete details about the landing leg raising and processing at Port Canaveral.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission lifted off at 9:03 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 10 (0203 GMT on Nov. 11), on a 22-story tall SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket integrated with the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance commercial crew astronaut ferry ship to the orbiting ISS microgravity research laboratory from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four multinational German and American astronauts on the NASA, ESA Crew-3 mission safely and successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday evening, Nov. 11 gliding into port aboard SpaceX’s commercial Crew Dragon Endeavour spaceship on its inaugural flight – kicking off a half year science mission at the orbiting microgravity research outpost as members of the newly enlarged Expedition 66.
Crew-3 docked at 6:32 p.m. EST (2332 GMT) Thursday, Nov. 11, over 30 minutes ahead of schedule – and less than 24 hours after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer from Germany opened the hatch of their Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance at 8:25 p.m.
The Crew-3 astronauts are the third crew to fly a full-duration six-month long science mission to the orbiting laboratory on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, the fourth to the station and the 5th human spaceflight overall on a SpaceX Crew Dragon over the past 18 months.
Ken’s post launch comments about Crew-3 were featured on local ABC, NBC and Fox TV News outlets in Orlando on Nov. 10 & 11:
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/crew-3-set-dock-iss-ahead-schedule/WTWJDQPWPVCKZIRHW6Y7QMNCOY/
https://www.wesh.com/article/crew-3-launch-wednesday/38212223
Ken’s prelaunch comments about the Crew-2 & Crew-3 missions were featured on local CBS, NBC and Fox TV News outlets in Orlando
Nov. 8 & 9 broadcasts on WESH 2 NBC and Fox 35:
https://www.wesh.com/article/crew-2-splashdown-monday/38192367
https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/999350
Nov. 5 broadcast on WKMG CBS 6 Orlando TV News:
Ken’s photos of the static fire test were featured on WKMG CBS 6 Orlando TV News
Ken is onsite at KSC for the Crew-3 mission launch campaign
Watch Ken’s continuing reports about SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragons, Artemis, SLS, Orion and NASA missions, Lucy Asteroid mission, Blue Origin and Space Tourism, SpaceX Starlink, Commercial Crew and Starliner and Crew Dragon and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Crew 1 & 2 & 3, ISS, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, NRO spysats and national security missions and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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