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After a brief SpaceX flight home, four astronauts from the space station arrived back on Earth late on Saturday.
Their capsule landed with a splash in the Gulf of Mexico not far from Tampa in Florida.
The American-Russian-Japanese crew, which arrived in October last year, spent five months on board the International Space Station. The astronauts also had to deal with two Russian capsules docked to the orbiting outpost that were leaking as well as the urgent delivery of a replacement craft for the station’s other crew members.
The astronauts checked out of the station early on Saturday morning, led by NASA’s Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman to travel to space. Less than 19 hours later, their Dragon capsule was bobbing in the sea as they awaited pickup.
They were at the station for an additional few days earlier in the week due to strong winds and waves in the splashdown zones. Their replacements have been here for more than a week.
“Moments after splashdown, Mann radioed, “That was one heck of a ride. “We are content to be at home.
It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally here.
Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina yearned for hot tea, while Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata yearned for sushi “not from a plastic bag, but from a real cup.
Josh Cassada, a NASA astronaut, had a goal of getting his family a rescue dog. “Before leaving the space station, he joked, “Please don’t tell our two cats.
Three Americans, three Russians, and one space station passenger from the United Arab Emirates are still on board.
The all-time spaceflight champion from Japan, Wakata, has now spent more than 500 days in space across five missions that date back to the NASA shuttle era.
