Astronauts greeted by boaters after touching down in Gulf of Mexico

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — As Tropical Storm Isaias loomed in the Atlantic, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley splashed down Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico after a successful demonstration flight to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

However, an unauthorized greeting by a group of private boaters has raised concerns.

WATCH: Crew Dragon astronauts return to Earth after 2 months in space; see the historic splashdown

“That was not what were anticipating,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “Of course we wanted to make sure there was a clearing for them to land; the Coast Guard did an excellent job of ensuring that. Then of course after they landed, the boats just came in. We need to do a better job next time, for sure.”

Bridenstine said several boats were on the water due to the sunny day, and they were “certainly intrigued” by the landing.

Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew, said a 10-nautical-mile area was cleared by the Coast Guard ahead of the landing that stayed cleared before the splashdown.

After the splashdown, Behnken and Hurley safely made it onto their recovery boat for their return to Houston.

Cox Media Group