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Glite Dictionary
splashdown

splashdown

4 7.7
A space capsule that lands in the sea at the end of its flight
  • noun
  • /ˈsplæʃˌdaʊn/
  • Specialized
: aterrizaje en el mar
  • After several hours of anticipation, the crew celebrated their splashdown in the designated recovery zone.
  • splashdown in the Pacific
  • launch and splashdown

Examples

  • What if you had told John Glenn, after his historic three orbits and successful splashdown in 1962, that in thirty-seven years, NASA was going to send him into space once again?

    Academic text (1998)

  • NASA confirmed that the splashdown of the capsule occurred safely in the sea.

  • It's a race against time until splashdown...

    Apollo 13 (1995)

  • Splashdown was only yesterday afternoon.

    The Alpha Incident (1978)

  • ETA to splashdown, two seconds!

    Doctor Detroit (1983)

  • Naha Rescue One will be on station at splashdown.

    First Man (2018)

  • We are in the approximate splashdown area and are awaiting further orders.

    Flipper (1996)

  • We are still waiting for the first images of the actual splashdown that's expected in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Greenland (2020)

  • (ON TV) Apollo 10 astronauts Colonel Tom Stafford, Commanders John Young and Eugene Cernan appear to be in excellent condition after their splashdown in the Pacific today.

    Stonewall (2015)

  • The spacecraft successfully achieved a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after its journey.

Synonyms

landing
vssplashdown
422 2.3

Coming down to a surface from the air or sea

is the sea touchdown of a spacecraft at the end of its flight

Antonyms

ascent
32 4.2

To move upward, either by climbing or by reaching a higher position

Surface Forms

splashdown singular
splashdowns plural

Morphology

splashdown = splash (transparent) = down + splash

The meaning is directly compositional: 'splash' + 'down' describes hitting water, so the structure clearly signals a water landing. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Splashdown is made from the simple words splash 'a noisy fall of water' and down 'towards the ground or sea', so picture a spacecraft making a big splash as it comes down into the ocean. That's why splashdown means the landing of a spacecraft in the water.