KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – When the Crew Dragon capsule goes up, it must come down in the water.
If there's a launch abort, in-flight abort, or even in-orbit abort, Crew Dragon will come down in the water. Anywhere in the world.
Task Force 45 Detachment 3 is the unit of the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force base tasked with recovering the capsule and rescuing the astronauts as quickly as possible.
Lt. Col. Michael Thompson, Commander of the 45th Operations Group, said if the capsule lands within 200 miles of Cape Canaveral, his unit will have the astronauts safe and dry within an hour.
That would be an easy mission.
"The biggest challenge in this mission is the tyranny of distance and the unknown of where the capsule may come down," Thompson said.
Thompson showed News 6 an entire hangar at Patrick AFB where dozens of inflatable boats and modified personal watercraft are stored, packed with medical supplies and rescue gear, ready to be loaded onto planes for transport around the country.
A third of the gear will be flown to Charleston, South Carolina and another third to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The remaining gear will stay at Patrick Air Force Base.
The flight path after launch of Dragon Crew takes it up the eastern seaboard, over the Atlantic Ocean, and even over Ireland before it reaches orbit.
Task Force 45 will be responsible for 155 million square miles.
Thompson said the boats will be dropped from C-130 or C-17 military cargo planes in the event of an abort.
Pararescuers will hook up the capsule to the jet ski, tow it to the boat, and help the astronauts onto an inflatable "front porch" floating dock attached to the boat.
Maj. Chris Hearne, 45th Operations Group mission support division chief, said para-rescuers discovered during training with a mock-up that Crew Dragon floats upright.
"In the open ocean, the capsule bobbed 85 degrees on all axis," Hearne said. "So somebody got the idea they were sitting on a jet ski that was meant to move people around but what happens if we tow it? And they started towing the capsule and it's stabilized and the PJs were able to pull out the simulated astronauts no problem."
Thompson said the Task Force has been training for this mission for years.
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NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, prepares for a flight in a T-38 trainer on his way from Houston to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) on Monday, June 20, 2011. (NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool).NASA astronaut Doug Hurley waits in a pressure chamber before a test of his Sokol space suit at the Zvezda facility on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, in Moscow. The crew of the final shuttle mission traveled to Moscow for a suit fit check of their Russian Soyuz suits that will be required in the event of an emergency. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )ASA astronaut Doug Hurley is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that he, and NASA astronaut Bob Behnken are assigned to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Demo-2 flight to the International Space Station, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)NASA astronaut Doug Hurley will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Credit: SpaceXView of Astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-127 Pilot in the Forward (FWD) Flight Deck (FD) of Space Shuttle Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105 during the STS-127 mission. Hurley is wearing his Launch and Entry Suit (LES).NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley dons a Sokol space suit at the Zvezda facility on Monday, March 28, 2011, in Moscow. Hurley's name appears first in English and then in Russian on his suit. The order is reversed on the suits of Russian Cosmonauts. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool )Commercial Crew astronauts, left to right, Bob Behnken, Suni Williams, Eric Boe, and Doug Hurley stand on the Crew Access Arm leading to the White Room at a construction yard near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There the arm and room are undergoing testing before attachment to the Crew Access Tower at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.NASA astronauts Robert Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Credit: SpaceX/Ashish SharmaThe crew of the shuttle Atlantis, from left, commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandy Mangus and Rex Welhiem address a news conference as the shuttle moves to Launch Pad 39A during rollout at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, in Florida. (NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool).Commander Chris Ferguson and pilot Doug Hurley smile for the camera from their stations on the Atlantis forward (FWD) flight deck (FD) during STS-135 Flight Day 2 (FD2).After suiting up, the STS-135 crew members exit the Operations and Checkout Building to board the Astrovan, which will take them to launch pad 39A for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission. On the right (front to back) are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; and Rex Walheim, mission specialist. On the left (front to back) are NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, pilot; and Sandy Magnus, mission specialist.NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley pose for a portrait in front of the SpaceX Dragon Commercial Crew vehicle mock up at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Credit: SpaceX/Ashish SharmaThe first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station, wave after being announced, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The astronauts are, from left to right: Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Chris Ferguson, Eric Boe, Josh Cassada, and Suni Williams.The STS-135 crew, commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, wave American flags in honor of the Fourth of July as they arrive at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, July 4, 2011. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on July 8, for the final mission in the history of the space shuttle program. (NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool)Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, salutes the crew of STS-135, seated from lower left, NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists, during their appearance for a taping of his television show, Aug. 16, 2011, in New York. The astronauts from STS-135 are in New York for a three-day visit. Photo credit: NASA/Paul E. AlersNASA astronaut Doug Hurley, pilot.NASA astronauts (from left) Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover pose for a portrait in front of the SpaceX Dragon Commercial Crew vehicle mock up at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.NASA astronauts (from left) Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken pose for a group portrait at the SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Behnken and Hurley will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Credit: SpaceXNASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.Astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-127 pilot, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Oct. 7, 2008.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, is pictured during a tools and repair kits training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Nov. 3, 2010. STS-135 is planned to be the final mission of the space shuttle program.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, attired in a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit, awaits the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus, mission specialist, is visible in the background. STS-135 is planned to be the final mission of the space shuttle program.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, prepares for a flight in a NASA T-38 trainer jet at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center on March 1, 2011.Astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-127 pilot, is pictured near a window in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Endeavour remains docked with the station on July 25, 2009.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, attired in a training version of the shuttle launch and entry suit, is pictured during an ingress/egress training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on May 24, 2011.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, is pictured on the middeck of the space shuttle Atlantis during the mission's fourth day in space and second day docked with the International Space Station on July 22, 2011.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley is preparing to launch to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center on May 27, marking the first time astronauts will launch from U.S. soil in nine years. All photos provided by NASA.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, exits the hatch of the space shuttle Atlantis during the STS-135 Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) in the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida on April 7, 2011.NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, is pictured on the middeck of the space shuttle Atlantis during the mission's fourth day in space and second day docked with the International Space Station on July 11, 2011.NASA astronauts Doug Hurley (left), pilot for the STS-135 mission and Rex Walheim, mission specialist, are pictured on the flight deck of the space shuttle Atlantis prior to undocking/separation from the International Space Station on July 19, 2011.
NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, prepares for a flight in a T-38 trainer on his way from Houston to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) on Monday, June 20, 2011. (NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool).
“The rescue for the entire U.S. Space Command will be over a 150 people,” Thompson said. “That includes three HC-130s, three HH-60 Pavehawk helicopters, their associated aircrew, 26 Guardian Angel Para-rescuemen - the members who actually jump out to deploy. And then we’ll also have the support of two C-17s, one at Charleston and one at Hickam (Hawaii).”
Thompson said it has taken two years to pull together all of the rescue equipment in the hangar and three weeks just to rig it up.
“It’s important that the nation and the public know that we’re spending on this amount of resources to make sure our astronauts come home alive and they’re protected if anything were to happen,” Thompson said. “Our mission is sort of like a wedding planner, we’re behind the scenes for months in this case years, putting this all together, and if everything goes according to plan, you’ll never know we’re there.”
If Dragon aborts off the coast of another country, Thompson said the U.S. Department of Defense will coordinate with their military’s to secure rescue support.
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Attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, is pictured in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station prior to the start of the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Endeavour is docked with the station on Aug. 1, 2013.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, participates in the mission's second session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the five-hour, 54-minute spacewalk on Feb. 14, 2010, Behnken and astronaut Nicholas Patrick (out of frame), mission specialist, connected two ammonia coolant loops, installed thermal covers around the ammonia hoses, outfitted the Earth-facing port on the Tranquility node for the relocation of its Cupola, and installed handrails and a vent valve on the new module.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, floats through the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA-2) of the International Space Station from the docked space shuttle Endeavour on Feb. 10, 2010.STS-130 crew member Robert Behnken during dry run for SSATA Crew Training and EMU Verification for STS-130 on Oct. 27, 2009.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, addresses a large crowd of well-wishers at the STS-130 crew return ceremony on Feb. 22, 2010 at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Astronaut Nicholas Patrick, mission specialist, is at left.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, participates in the mission's second session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station on Feb. 14, 2010. During the five-hour, 54-minute spacewalk, Behnken and astronaut Nicholas Patrick (out of frame), mission specialist, connected two ammonia coolant loops, installed thermal covers around the ammonia hoses, outfitted the Earth-facing port on the Tranquility node for the relocation of its Cupola, and installed handrails and a vent valve on the new module.Astronauts Robert Behnken (foreground), STS-130 mission specialist; and George Zamka, commander, work with an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit during a training session in an International Space Station mock-up/trainer in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Nov. 23, 2009.Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, dons a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center on Nov. 19, 2007. Suit technicians assisted Behnken.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, prepares to exit the Quest airlock of the International Space Station to begin the mission's third and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA) on Feb. 16, 2010.Robert Behnken, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, studies a pump replica at his console in the space station flight control room (FCR-1) at the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center on Dec. 24, 2013. At this time, two Expedition 38 crew members aboard the International Space Station had begun their second spacewalk in a four day period to troubleshoot a faulty coolant pump on the orbital outpost.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, prepares to exit the Quest airlock of the International Space Station to begin the mission's third and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA) on Feb. 16, 2010.Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Nov. 19, 2009. United Space Alliance suit technician Mike Thompson (left) assisted Behnken.Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on June 1, 2009.Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, attired in a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit, participates in a training session in the Mission Simulation Development Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Dec. 21, 2009.Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a water survival training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center on Aug. 24, 2009. United Space Alliance suit technician Mike Thompson assisted Behnken.Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center on Sept. 11, 2007.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.Astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center on July 21, 2009. United Space Alliance suit technician Steve Sholtz assisted Behnken.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, STS-130 mission specialist, is pictured near the windows in the Cupola of the International Space Station while space shuttle Endeavour remains docked with the station on Feb. 19, 2010.NASA astronaut Robert Behnken will launch to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission – the crew flight test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.Astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, participates in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit fit check in the Space Station Airlock Test Article (SSATA) in the Crew Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center.
Attired in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, astronaut Robert L. Behnken, STS-123 mission specialist, is pictured in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station prior to the start of the mission's fourth scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Endeavour is docked with the station on Aug. 1, 2013.
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Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.
