Four astronauts return to Earth after eight-month space station mission

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 23:07 · Archive

Four astronauts—two NASA, one European Space Agency, one Russian—splashed down in the Pacific off California after eight months on the International Space Station.

Four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Thursday, completing an eight-month mission to the International Space Station. NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev undocked from the station early Wednesday aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named 'Freedom'.

The departure followed an automated procedure in which the capsule looped over the station and dropped away from the orbiting laboratory. Meir, commanding the mission, expressed gratitude to the teams involved as the capsule departed, describing it as 'the most incredible of expeditions'.

After a final day in weightlessness, Meir and Hathaway monitored the capsule's re-entry sequence on Thursday morning, firing the Draco thrusters to set up the descent. The crew splashed down at 11:34 a.m. Eastern Time off California's coast.

All four astronauts exited their capsule within an hour of splashdown, aboard SpaceX's recovery ship. After a helicopter ride to shore, they were heading to Houston. Meir radioed following splashdown that the crew had 'mixed, swirling emotions' and would miss the 'extraordinary views of our home planet'.

During their eight-month stay, the crew conducted spacewalks and science experiments. The New York Post reports that their mission included watching the Artemis II astronauts fly around the moon two months after their arrival, and that they celebrated the United States' 250th birthday aboard the station, with Meir joining the Boston Pops with her piccolo for a Fourth of July concert. The crew replaced four station occupants sent home early after one fell ill, marking NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight.

Four astronauts return to Earth after eight-month space station mission — Image: New York Post

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How it is being reported

Four astronauts return to earth after an eight-month space missionThe crew completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.Al Jazeera · 8 Oct, 22:55
4 astronauts return to Earth after 8 months in space to replace ailing colleague, his crewFour international astronauts returned to Earth in a SpaceX capsule, splashing down near Los Angeles after an eight-month mission on the ISS.New York Post · 8 Oct, 21:57
4 people on NASA's Crew-12 mission return to Earth after 8 months in spaceFour people — two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency and a Russian cosmonaut — spent nearly eight months at the space station, conducting spacewalks, science experiments and research.NPR · 8 Oct, 16:34
Space station crew returns home after eight-month missionTwo NASA astronauts, a European flier and a Russian cosmonaut will close out an eight-month mission with splashdown Thursday.CBS News · 7 Oct, 14:16

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

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