4 astronauts return to Earth after 5 months in space
What's the story
An international crew of four astronauts has safely returned to Earth today, after spending nearly five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The team, which included US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, made their return in a SpaceX capsule. Their successful splashdown off California's coast at 8:44am local time (3:34pm GMT) marked the end of NASA's Commercial Crew Program's 10th crew rotation mission to the ISS.
Return voyage
Journey back home took 17 hours
The Dragon capsule, owned by SpaceX, separated from the ISS at 10:15pm GMT on Friday. Its return journey lasted a dizzying 17 hours, slowed down by re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and further controlled by deploying large parachutes. After splashing down, the astronauts were hoisted aboard a SpaceX ship and breathed Earth's air for the first time in months.
Research achievements
Team conducted 200+ scientific experiments during stay
During their five-month stay on the ISS, the Crew-10 team conducted over 200 scientific experiments. These included material studies and investigations into physiological and psychological changes in humans. "We got to accomplish a lot of really amazing operational things. We got to see some amazing views, and we have had some really big belly laughs and a wonderful time together," said Ayers, who was the mission's pilot.
New mission
Crew-11 takes over from Crew-10 on ISS
The Crew-10 team was replaced by Crew-11, which arrived at the ISS a week ago. This new crew includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They will spend around six months on the station conducting scientific experiments and maintenance work. Since October 31, 2000, there has been a continuous human presence on the space station, but plans to retire it by decade's end are in place.