‘Space dad’ jokes: NASA astronauts made prank calls after historic SpaceX splashdown – Space.com

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley returned from orbit with their senses of humor intact.

The duo splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico come Pensacola, Florida, Sunday (Aug. 2), wrapping up SpaceX’s historical Demo-2 mission to the World Build Space. Behnken and Hurley had a chunk of of time to abolish as they waited for restoration crews to fish out and ogle their Crew Dragon capsule, in boom that they determined to place a couple of calls. 

“Five hours in the past, we had been in a spaceship, bobbing round, making prank satellite telephone calls to whoever lets receive a relieve of. Which used to be more or much less fun, by the technique,” Hurley stated all the diagram in which by a welcome-house ceremony in Houston, the put NASA’s astronaut corps is predicated.

Full protection: SpaceX’s historical Demo-2 Crew Dragon astronaut take a look at flight

He used to be being mad by making those jokey calls; we dangle outdoors affirmation.

“I got one among those calls at the flight director console. It started with a gap line like ‘Hi there, it is Doug and Bob, and we’re in the ocean.’ I issue my response used to be, ‘Yeah, I can realizing that,'” NASA flight director Anthony Vareha stated by strategy of Twitter.

Behnken’s wife, fellow NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, bought a name from the newly returned Crew Dragon to boot.

“On my telephone it stated ‘Unsolicited mail Anguish.’ Pleased I answered anyway!” McArthur tweeted the day earlier than as of late. 

I recieved one among those calls at the flight director console. It started with a gap line like “Hi there it is Doug and Bob and we’re in the ocean.” I issue my response used to be “Yeah, I can realizing that.” https://t.co/Posn3RdQM9August 3, 2020

Precisely! On my telephone it stated “Unsolicited mail Anguish”. Pleased I answered anyway! https://t.co/1WmMpQAL3PAugust 3, 2020

Demo-2 itself used to be no amusing memoir, needless to claim, and Behnken and Hurley took care of business all the diagram in which by their nine weeks in house. The successful completion of that landmark take a look at flight keeps SpaceX on observe to soar its first operational crewed mission to the house put in unhurried September, supplied analyses of Demo-2 knowledge monitor no purple flags.

That coming mission, often known as Crew-1, would possibly well be the most main of at the very least six that SpaceX will soar to and from the orbiting lab below a $2.6 billion NASA contract. Crew-1 will characteristic four astronauts: NASA’s Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi. 

The 2nd lowered in dimension flight, Crew-2, is focused to initiate in spring 2021. It would possibly per chance well employ the an identical capsule that flew on Demo-2, which Hurley and Behnken dubbed Endeavour. And there would possibly be yet every other connection to the take a look at flight to boot: McArthur is one among the four Crew-2 astronauts. (The opposite three are NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and the European Build Company’s Thomas Pesquet.)

Mike Wall is the creator of “Out There” (Unprecedented Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e book regarding the observe for alien lifestyles. Apply him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Apply us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.