We turned on the TV just in time to see the splashdown. I mean, hey, it was in our own backyard, so to speak.... just off Pensacola.
And yes, we applauded when the capsule hit the water. And we laughed out loud when the announcer said "welcome back to planet Earth and thanks for flying SpaceX."
But it didn't go off without a hitch.
NASA is upset with some local boaters. When the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splash landed yesterday afternoon in the Gulf, about 40 miles off Pensacola, boaters swarmed the capsule while the astronauts inside waited to be picked up.
NASA officials say that put the astronauts, the boaters and Coast Guard members in danger. SpaceX says it will work with NASA and the Coast Guard in the future to ensure private boaters don't get so close to the capsule.
Chris Tipton was one of those boaters. He says everyone was just excited to witness history, though he admits they have been a little overexcited. NASA says Tipton and others endangered crews there to retrieve the astronauts, but Tipton denies that, and he tells the News Journal boaters weren't as close as it looks in videos posted online.
Some local tie-ins, besides the fact that it splashed down off Pensacola. Astronaut Doug Hurley, the flight commander, attended aviation indoctrination at Pensacola NAS. And the boat used to recover the capsule, Go Navigator, was built in Coden, AL (see below).
(Photo: Getty Images)
(Photo: Getty Images)