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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Astronauts & Human Spaceflight

Crew capsule

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, crew capsule means: The small spacecraft that carries astronauts to and from space. It sits on top of a rocket for launch and returns to Earth under parachutes.

In Turkish: mürettebat kapsülü, ekip kapsülü

How it is used

Examples include Soyuz, Crew Dragon, Shenzhou and Orion. Capsules land on the ground or splash down in the sea. Crews board the capsule, and its launch escape system can pull it away from a failing rocket.

Example sentences

  1. The crew capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida after a 20-day mission.

  2. The three astronauts climbed into the crew capsule two hours before launch.

Common collocations

  • crewed capsule
  • board the capsule
  • capsule splashdown
  • launch escape system
  • spacecraftAny vehicle designed to travel or operate in space, with or without a crew, such as a satellite, a probe or a crew capsule.
  • re-entryThe return of a spacecraft from space into Earth's atmosphere, when the air squeezed in front of it heats its outer surface to very high temperatures.
  • heat shieldA protective layer on a spacecraft that takes the extreme heat of entering an atmosphere, so that the crew or instruments inside stay safe.
  • dockTo join two spacecraft together in space, for example when a crew capsule connects to a space station. The noun is 'docking'.
  • astronautA person who is trained to travel and work in space on board a spacecraft or a space station.

More terms: Astronauts & Human Spaceflight

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