A NASA crew, including astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, successfully splashed down in the Pacific after a historic mission that relieved stranded astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with international crew members Takuya Onishi from Japan and Kirill Peskov from Russia, made a historic splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Saturday. This marked NASA’s first Pacific splashdown in 50 years, occurring at 11:33 a.m. ET in a SpaceX capsule.
The crew’s return followed a mission that involved replacing two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. Their extended stay was due to issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule, which had experienced thruster problems and helium leaks shortly after their arrival.
NASA determined that bringing Wilmore and Williams back to Earth in the Starliner would be too risky. Consequently, the Starliner returned without crew, while Wilmore and Williams were eventually brought home in a SpaceX capsule after their replacements arrived.
Wilmore recently announced his retirement after a distinguished 25-year career with NASA. Reflecting on the mission, McClain expressed hope that their journey would serve as a reminder of the power of collaboration and exploration, especially during challenging times on Earth.
“We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together,” McClain said before departing the space station on Friday. She added that she looked forward to “doing nothing for a couple of days” upon returning home, while her crewmates eagerly anticipated indulging in hot showers and burgers.
Earlier this year, SpaceX made the decision to shift their splashdowns from Florida to California. This change was implemented to minimize the risk of debris falling on populated areas during the landing process.
Following their splashdown, the crew underwent medical checks before being transported via helicopter to meet a NASA aircraft bound for Houston. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, expressed satisfaction with the mission’s outcome in a press conference after the splashdown.
“Overall, the mission went great, glad to have the crew back,” Stich stated. “SpaceX did a great job of recovering the crew again on the West Coast.”
Dina Contella, deputy manager for NASA’s International Space Station program, shared her happiness at seeing the Crew 10 team return safely. “They looked great, and they are doing great,” she remarked.
During their 146 days aboard the ISS, the crew orbited the Earth 2,368 times and traveled over 63 million miles, contributing to valuable research and international cooperation in space.
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