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How do astronauts return to earth?

Updated: 9/14/2023
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9y ago

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Through a slow and controlled descent.
During the space programs Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, astronauts returned to Earth through a sort of crash landing. They fell through the atmosphere using a heat shield to deflect the massive amounts of heat built up do to the friction of the Earth against the spacecraft. When they were nearing the Earth's surface they deployed a parachute to slow them down. They then fell into the ocean, the spacecraft floated, and they were retrieved by a Navy rescue team. Then the spacecrafts could not be reused, they were a once only deal. Now the Shuttle lands much like an airplane does. It reenters the atmosphere and uses a heatshield of its own to deflect the heat. It has wings on the side which allow it control over its decent and it lands on a runway, also using parachutes to slow it down after it has touched down. The benefit of this style of landing is that the spacecraft is reuseable and can fly several missions.

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