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A four-person international crew has safely returned to Earth after spending nearly five months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew, consisting of US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, splashed down in a SpaceX capsule off the coast of California on Saturday.
The mission, known as Crew-10, was the tenth crew rotation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.
After a 17-hour journey back from the ISS, the Dragon capsule’s descent was slowed by large parachutes before landing in the Pacific Ocean. Once recovered by a SpaceX ship, the astronauts were able to breathe Earth’s air again.
Credit: Denver7
During their time in space, the crew conducted numerous scientific experiments, including studies on plant growth and cell reactions to gravity.
The crew’s arrival at the ISS back in March was particularly important, as it allowed two other US astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to finally return home.
They had been unexpectedly stranded in space for nine months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft experienced propulsion problems and was deemed unsafe for return.
NASA recently announced that Wilmore has decided to retire after 25 years of service. Meanwhile, a new international crew is already on the ISS for their six-month mission.
