Four astronauts have successfully returned to Earth following a significant mission to the International Space Station (ISS). These astronauts hurried to the ISS five months ago to relieve stranded test pilots of Boeing’s Starliner. Their SpaceX capsule made a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast on Saturday, just a day after departing from the orbiting laboratory.
“Welcome home,” was the warm greeting from SpaceX Mission Control as the astronauts reentered Earth's atmosphere. The crew included NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. They launched in March to take over from two NASA astronauts who were originally assigned to the Starliner’s demo mission.
Due to Starliner malfunctions, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams found themselves stranded at the ISS for more than nine months instead of the planned week. Consequently, NASA decided to return Boeing’s new crew capsule empty and switched Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX mission. They departed shortly after McClain and her crew arrived to assume their roles at the space station. Notably, Wilmore has since retired from NASA.
Before leaving the ISS on Friday, Anne McClain shared her thoughts on the “tumultuous times on Earth,” highlighting the struggles faced by many. “We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together,” she stated. McClain expressed her eagerness to “do nothing for a couple of days” once she returns home to Houston.
High on the wish list for McClain and her crewmates are simple comforts such as hot showers and juicy burgers. This mission marked SpaceX’s third Pacific splashdown with crew members on board, but notably, it was the first time a NASA crew has made such a return in 50 years. Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company opted to switch capsule returns from Florida to California’s coast earlier this year to minimize the risk of debris falling on populated areas.
The successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean marks a significant milestone, as back-to-back private crews have now experienced Pacific homecomings. The last time NASA astronauts returned to the Pacific from space was during the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission, a groundbreaking event symbolizing a historic detente between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
