Recovery and Rescue Teams Practice with Full-Size Crew Dragon Tr

Personnel from NASA, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force have begun practicing recovery operations for the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Using a full-size model of the spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station, Air Force parajumpers practice helping astronauts out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon following a mission. In certain unusual recovery situations, SpaceX may need to work with Air Force for parajumpers to recover astronauts from the capsule following a water landing. The recovery trainer was recently lowered into the Indian River Lagoon near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center allowing Air Force pararescue and others to refine recovery procedures. SpaceX is developing the Crew Dragon in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.