The SpaceX Dragon Endurance capsule, slowed by parachutes, approaches surface waters in the Gulf of Mexico off Tampa, Florida, returning to Earth with Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Anna Kikina of Roscosmos, Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Aerospace Exploration Agency. (JAXA) after a five-month mission to the International Space Station, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via AP
Four astronauts from the space station returned to Earth late Saturday after a quick SpaceX flight home.
Their capsule fell into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida near Tampa.
The American, Russian, and Japanese crew spent five months on the International Space Station. arrive last October. Besides dribbling space junkthe astronauts had to deal with a pair of leaky Russian capsules docked at the orbital site W Urgent delivery of a replacement vehicle for the other station Crew members.
Led by NASA’s Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman to fly in space, the astronauts left the station early Saturday morning. Less than 19 hours later, their Dragon capsule was bobbing in the sea as they waited for capture.
earlier in the week, Strong wind The waves kept them in the station’s splash zones for a few more days. Their replacements arrived over a week ago.
“It was a single ride,” Mann said on the radio moments after he splashed out. “We are glad to be back home.”
Mann, a member of the Northern California Wailacki of the Rhubarb Valley Indian tribes, said she can’t wait to feel the wind on her face, smell the fresh grass and enjoy some delicious earth food.
The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is seen descending with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Casada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos astronaut Anna Kikina on board in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Saturday, March 11, 2023. The group returns After a five-month mission to the International Space Station. Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via AP
In this image from video made available by NASA, a SpaceX capsule, slowed by parachutes, approaches the surface of Gulf of Mexico waters off Tampa, Florida, returning to Earth with Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Anna Kikina of Roscosmos, Josh Casada and Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) after a five-month mission to the International Space Station, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Credit: NASA via AP
SpaceX astronauts, row from left, Josh Kasada, Nicole Mann, row second from left, Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata leave the Operations and Thrust Building before heading to Launch Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space The center is in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to the International Space Station Wednesday, October 5, 2022. The four are scheduled to return to Earth Sunday, March 12, 2023, after five months on the International Space Station. Credit: AP Photo/John Raoux, File
In this image made available by NASA, clockwise from left, Flight 68 engineers Anna Kikina of the Russian Space Agency, Josh Casada and Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) gather for a photo inside the station. Kibo International Space. Lab module on March 1, 2023. The four are scheduled to return to Earth Sunday, March 12, after five months on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA via AP
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata craved sushi, while Russian astronaut Anna Kikina longed to drink hot tea “from a real mug, not from a plastic bag.”
NASA astronaut Josh Cassada’s to-do list included getting a rescue dog for his family. “Please don’t tell our cats,” he jokes before leaving space station.
Three Americans, three Russians, and one from the United Arab Emirates remain on the space station.
Wakata, the Japanese spaceflight hero, has now logged more than 500 days in space during five missions dating back to NASA’s shuttle era.
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