Four astronauts representing NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos completed their return to Earth following an extended mission to the International Space Station. The crew splashed down Thursday in the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles after spending more than seven months in orbit. The mission began on Feb. 13, with the astronauts reaching and docking with the space station the following day.
During their 237-day stay, the crew members circled Earth more than 3,792 times and accumulated over 100 million miles of travel. The returning crew included NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. For Meir and Fedyaev, this represented their second spaceflight, while Hathaway and Adenot completed their inaugural missions. Following standard medical evaluations and recovery procedures, the astronauts were transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Throughout their orbital residence, the crew devoted considerable time to scientific investigations intended to support future human exploration beyond Earth. Research projects included stem cell production studies for potential medical applications, technology demonstrations for producing intravenous fluids in space, and investigations into how certain bacteria may contribute to cardiovascular complications. Additional experiments examined nutrition requirements and blood flow patterns during spaceflight, all aimed at better understanding human health in microgravity environments.
The mission also featured significant spacewalk achievements. Meir completed four extravehicular activities, bringing her career total to seven and placing her third among NASA women for most career spacewalks. Adenot achieved three spacewalks, becoming the first French woman to venture outside the International Space Station. These milestones underscored the international and collaborative nature of the mission, which involved thousands of personnel across NASA, SpaceX, and partner organizations worldwide.
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