The NASA astronauts and their international crewmates successfully splashed down in the Pacific, marking a historic return after a mission that relieved stranded astronauts aboard the ISS.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov, made a historic splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Saturday morning at 11:33 a.m. ET. This marked NASA’s first Pacific splashdown in 50 years, a significant milestone for the agency.
The crew had launched to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year to replace two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded due to issues with their spacecraft. The Boeing Starliner, which carried Williams and Wilmore to the ISS, experienced thruster problems and helium leaks, leaving them at the space station for nine months instead of the planned week-long mission.
NASA ultimately determined that returning the stranded astronauts in the Starliner was too risky. Instead, the Starliner returned to Earth without a crew, while Williams and Wilmore were brought back in a SpaceX capsule after their replacements arrived.
McClain expressed her hopes for the mission, stating, “We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together.” She referenced “some tumultuous times on Earth” and looked forward to enjoying some downtime after their return.
Her crewmates shared similar sentiments, eagerly anticipating hot showers and burgers after their time in space. The mission’s successful completion was a relief for the team and NASA, especially after the challenges faced by the previous crew.
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 re-entry.
Upon exiting the spacecraft, the crew underwent medical checks before being transported by helicopter to meet a NASA aircraft bound for Houston. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, expressed satisfaction with the mission, stating, “Overall, the mission went great, glad to have the crew back. 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, also shared her happiness at the crew’s return. She noted that the Crew 10 team had orbited the Earth 2,368 times and traveled over 63 million miles during their 146 days aboard the ISS.
The successful splashdown not only highlights the achievements of the astronauts but also underscores the collaborative efforts of international space agencies in advancing human space exploration.
Source: Original article