NASA SpaceX Crew-12 returns to Earth after eight months in space

Summarised from 3 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 9 Oct, 03:00 · Archive

Four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles after spending nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station.

Four astronauts returned to Earth on Thursday after spending nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon capsule, named Freedom, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 50 miles west of Los Angeles at 8:34 a.m. Pacific time.

The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Crew-12 spent 237 days in space, during which they conducted four spacewalks. Meir has now logged 440 total days in space across her career, placing her in NASA's top ten for cumulative days in space.

The spacecraft began its descent after firing thrusters for nine minutes at 10:46 a.m. Eastern time to reduce its speed. The capsule entered the atmosphere at nearly five miles per second, generating intense heat as it decelerated. Parachutes deployed approximately eleven minutes before splashdown, slowing the spacecraft from about 120 mph to 15 mph.

The crew was pulled from the water by the recovery ship Shannon, which hoisted the capsule onto its deck. Medical personnel examined the astronauts immediately after recovery. For Hathaway and Adenot, this was their first spaceflight; for Fedyaev, it was his second mission.

The astronauts will begin a forty-five day post-flight conditioning process to help them recover from prolonged exposure to zero and micro-gravity. They were expected to be transported by helicopter to shore and then travel to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for rehabilitation and physical therapy. Crew-12 departed the space station on Wednesday as their replacements, Crew-13, launched on 1 October and reached the station in record time.

How it is being reported

• Dramatic moment SpaceX astronauts blast back to Earth before splashdown off SoCalThe SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which is named Freedom, landed about 50 miles west of Los Angeles at 11:34 a.m. eastern time, according to CBS News.New York Post · 8 Oct, 20:44
• NASA's Crew-12 returns to Earth from ISS in successful splashdownThe SpaceX Dragon craft carrying Crew-12 from the International Space Station splashed down Thursday carrying the crew members safely to Earth.UPI · 8 Oct, 20:35
• NASA SpaceX Crew-12 returns to Earth after 8 months in spaceThe NASA SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down to Earth on Thursday after spending 8 months at the International Space Station. CBS News' Bill Hardwood has more.CBS News · 8 Oct, 19:47
• NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 heads back to EarthNASA's SpaceX Crew-12 is returning to Earth from the International Space Station after swapping places with Crew-13. CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood has more.CBS News · 7 Oct, 16:44

In this story: NASA · SpaceX · International Space Station · Jessica Meir · Jack Hathaway · Sophie Adenot · Andrey Fedyaev · Los Angeles

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