More patrols, fewer boaters for SpaceX splashdown Wednesday

NASA and SpaceX are promising more Coast Guard patrols and fewer pleasure boaters for this week's splashdown by four astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The astronauts flying SpaceX back to Earth this week urged boaters to stay safe by staying away from their capsule's splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA and SpaceX are promising more Coast Guard patrols and fewer pleasure boaters for Wednesday afternoon's planned splashdown off the Florida panhandle coast near Tallahassee — the company's second return of a crew. Last August, pleasure boaters swarmed the two-man Dragon capsule. NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, the Dragon's commander, said everyone is putting “a lot of emphasis” on keeping the area clear this time. “I don't think any of us are too worried in terms of landing on a boat,” he said during a news conference Monday from the International Space Station.