Cheers erupted in the control room when controllers received word of spacecraft separation.

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The effective mirror size for a virtual telescope made up of spacecraft flying in formation depends on the separation of those spacecraft.

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For the rest of Thursday, ground controllers plan to send Dragon on a wide loop around the space station, maintaining a separation of several miles as the spacecraft zips above and then falls behind the station.

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As the spacecraft descended, it sent back signals when critical events occurred: heat shield separation, parachute deployment, retro-rocket firing.

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