Splashdown and touchdown: Astronaut Sunita Williams and Buch Wilmore have returned safely on earth. Both started their mission for eight days on ISS on 6 June 2024. Both were to come back after eight days, but both of them were stuck in space due to technical fault. Eventually SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom Capsule brought both back to Earth. If you have noticed, then this capsule was landed in the sea. This process is called splashadown. Let us know what is the difference between splashdown and touchdown.
What is splashdown
Splashdown is a method in which a spacecraft or projection vehicle is introduced in water through parachutes. It has been a method of NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Orion as well as American capsules including private spacex dragons. It is also possible for Boeing Starlineer, Russian Soyuz and Chinese Shenzhou crew capsules to be removed in water in emergency conditions. In such a situation, whenever a spacecraft is lowered from space to earth, that place is called a splashdown site.
Why is splashdown in water
Whenever a spacecraft is entered into the atmosphere, its speed is thousands of kilometers per hour. This speed produces a lot of heat and in such a situation, the aircraft can be damaged. Therefore, they secure it through special heat shield. They remove the spacecraft in water because the water acts as a natural cushion. In such a situation, the spacecraft floats on the surface of the water, then it seems less shock than the ground and reduces the damage to astronauts and aircraft.
What is touchdown?
Touchdown aircraft. But whatever flying thing lands on the ground is called touchdown. Touchdown in the aircraft means the aircraft wheels contact with the runway, which is the last stage of the landing process. The part of the runway where the aircraft has to land for the first time is called a touchdown zone.
