a landing of a spacecraft in the sea at the end of a space flight

Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency.

"Splashdown" was the final episode of sea Quest DSV`s second season. It was originally shown on May 21, 1995, however, due to a preemption by NBC, it was not aired as the final episode of the season. The preceding episode, "Blindsided", was later aired on September 13, 1995, which makes for severe continuity gaffes.