Four astronauts, including NASA’s Anne McClain and Japan’s Takuya Onishi, safely splashed down in the Pacific off California’s coast on Saturday after a five-month mission to the International Space Station. The crew, which also included Russia’s Kirill Peskov, launched in March as part of a mission to replace stranded NASA astronauts who were stuck at the space station due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The SpaceX capsule successfully parachuted into the ocean, marking the company’s third Pacific splashdown with people on board. The crew arrived at the International Space Station in March to relieve the two NASA astronauts who had been assigned to Starliner’s botched demo mission.
“This is a reminder of what we can achieve when we work together,” said McClain during her post-flight interview, referring to the challenges faced by humanity as a whole. She expressed her excitement to return home and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation after a long five-month journey. The crew’s priority was hot showers and juicy burgers back on Earth.
This mission marks the first time NASA astronauts have returned to the Pacific from space in 50 years, highlighting SpaceX’s efforts to improve their splashdown procedures. The company had previously switched its capsule returns from Florida to California’s coast earlier this year to reduce the risk of debris falling on populated areas.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/spacex-returns-astronauts-to-earth-with-pacific-splashdown-faa6d5c867de9d9c91f4ca6727da538c