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.

Leaking fuel from the capsule�s thrusters could endanger people outside the capsule. A crowd could also hamper SpaceX�s recovery effort.

Hopkins is winding up a six-month mission, along with U.S. crewmates Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan�s Soichi Noguchi. Their replacements arrived Saturday on their own SpaceX capsule.

When Hopkins and his crew launched last November, they hoped to return to a world where COVID-19 held less of a grip than it does. They will go into semi-quarantine for a while, Walker said, to give their space-weakened immune systems time to bounce back.

They�ll roll up their sleeves for their first vaccine shot seven to 10 days after splashdown.

�We definitely have enjoyed not wearing masks up here,� Walker said. �And having to go back and wear masks � well, it�s what we will do because that is the right thing to do.�

(AP)