GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

SpaceX Makes First Manned Night Splash Down Since 1968

Four astronauts made a watery return to earth early Sunday morning in the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City, Florida, marking the end of Elon Musk’s private mission for NASA.

Four astronauts made the first nighttime splash down since 1968 when the Resilience capsule landed in the Gulf of Mexico just before 3 a.m. Sunday morning. The last time astronauts landed at night was 53 years ago, when three astronauts of Apollo 8 returned to Earth after orbiting the moon. The successful reentry marked the end of Elon Musk’s SpaceX private mission to and from the International Space Station for NASA. “We welcome you back to planet Earth, and thanks for flying SpaceX,” Michael Heiman, SpaceX mission control official, told the astronauts. “For those of you enrolled in our frequent flier program, you have earned 68 million miles on this voyage.” Mike Hopkins, the NASA astronaut commanding the mission, replied, “Resilience is back on planet Earth and we’ll take those miles,” according to the New York Times, then asked, “Are they transferable?”