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NASA’s Crew-12 splashes down off Los Angeles after eight months in space
Two NASA astronauts and crewmates from Europe and Russia returned from the International Space Station in a SpaceX Dragon capsule Thursday morning.
NASA reported that the Crew-12 Dragon splashed down off the Los Angeles coast at 8:34 a.m. PDT on October 8, bringing four astronauts back to Earth after nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station.
Splashdown: 8:34 a.m. PDT off Los Angeles
Crew: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev
Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon Freedom
Recovery teams secured the capsule
NASA said teams aboard the recovery ship used two fast boats to secure the spacecraft before it was hoisted onto the ship’s main deck. The crew then exited the capsule and began the trip back to Houston.
The returning crew included NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
An extended stay in orbit
Associated Press reporting said the four had been in space since February, when they launched to replace a station crew that came home early after a medical evacuation. Their own return was later delayed by repairs to a replacement capsule.
Sources: NASA → · Associated Press →