NASA Science
Splashdown
Coming home under parachutes into the sea, which is softer than land and harder to reach.
A capsule returning from orbit sheds most of its speed against the atmosphere, then parachutes the last few kilometres. Water landings are gentler and give a wide margin for error, at the cost of a recovery fleet and the risk of a rough sea state. Land returns — the Soyuz way — need retro-rockets firing a metre above the ground and a precise target, but the crew is reached in minutes. The choice tends to follow geography: countries with ocean downrange splash down, countries with steppe do not.
Where it has come up lately
NASA Science
Related terms
EVA (spacewalk)
Working outside the spacecraft, in a suit that is itself a spacecraft.
Life support (ECLSS)
The machinery that keeps the air breathable and the water drinkable, indefinitely.
What weightlessness does to people
Bone loss, fluid shift, weakened hearts and eyesight that does not always come back.
Docking and berthing
Two ways to attach a spacecraft to a station: it flies in, or it is caught and bolted on.
Questions
What is Splashdown?
Coming home under parachutes into the sea, which is softer than land and harder to reach.
Why does it matter?
Land returns — the Soyuz way — need retro-rockets firing a metre above the ground and a precise target, but the crew is reached in minutes. The choice tends to follow geography: countries with ocean downrange splash down, countries with steppe do not.