Four space station flyers return to Earth after a record-breaking 235-day mission

Strapped into the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavor capsule, three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut returned to Earth early Friday and landed in the Gulf of Mexico to complete a sprawling 235-day expedition to the International Space Station.

After a high-speed re-entry over Central America and a steep descent into the Gulf, Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick, co-pilot Michael Barratt, astronaut Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin settled in for a gentle, pinpoint descent south of Pensacola, Florida 3:29 a.m. EDT.

A nearby SpaceX team was on scene within minutes to stabilize the capsule, ensure there were no toxic fuel fumes, and then transport it aboard a nearby recovery ship, where NASA flight surgeons and support staff stood by. to transport the returning station pilots from the crew cabin.

Despite two hours of training per day during their stay in orbit, astronauts returning to the station need about a month or more to regain their “land legs” after months in the weightless environment of space.

Therefore, Dominick, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin were carried out of the Crew Dragon and carried on stretchers before being wheeled into the ship for initial medical examinations and calls to family and friends. All four appeared in good spirits, smiling and waving as they were wheeled inside.

The mission duration was 235 days, three hours and 35 minutes. During this time, the spacecraft orbited the globe 3,776 times, covering 100 million miles Launch from Kennedy Space Center on March 3rd.

The crew had originally expected to return to Earth in September. However, the flight was postponed until early October after a decision was made to postpone the launch of the Crew 9 replacement fleet due to problems with Boeing’s crew ferry Starliner.

NASA ultimately ruled out returning Starliner commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams to Earth aboard the Boeing spacecraft. Instead, the Starliner came down without his crew On September 7, Crew 9 launched with just two passengers – Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gobrunov on September 28th.

This freed up two seats aboard Crew Dragon for Wilmore and Williams to bring home with Hague and Gorbunov next February.

After we sorted all that out, Crew 8’s departure was postponed until October. NASA and SpaceX were then repeatedly delayed at approved splashdown sites by strong winds and rough seas, largely due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

But this week, conditions in the Gulf finally met NASA safety guidelines and the crew was allowed to undock and head home.

Once Crew 8 returns safely to Earth, Crew 9 will board their own Crew Dragon capsule early Sunday, November 3, undock from the Harmony module’s forward port and then dock back at its space-facing port.

The next day, a SpaceX cargo ship is scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Center on its way to the ISS. After an automated rendezvous, the ship will dock in the newly vacated outer port on November 5th, election day in the USA.