— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 8, 2021 Among the cargo being returned from the ISS was 5,300 pounds of experiments and equipment, including several experiments into how the microgravity environment of the space station affects things like bacteria and the freeze-drying process. In order to get these results to scientists as quickly as possible, with minimal exposure to Earth gravity, NASA used a fast procedure to get cargo from the capsule to the Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility. This is the second time a Cargo Dragon has splashed down off the coast of Florida, as previous capsules splashed down in the Pacific Ocean instead. “Splashing down off the coast of Florida enables quick transportation of the science aboard the capsule to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility, delivering some science back into the hands of the researchers as soon as four to nine hours after splashdown,” NASA wrote. “This shorter transportation timeframe allows researchers to collect data with minimal loss of microgravity effects.”