NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and crewmates return to Earth after 6-month mission
Welcome home! A trio of space travellers has safely returned to Earth after spending six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
After 196 days living and working in Earth’s orbit, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy along with cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos landed back on Earth.
The trio departed the ISS in their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft at 7:32 p.m. and landed just south of the town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan on Earth on Oct. 21, at 10:54 p.m. EDT (8:54 a.m. Kazakhstan time).
According to a press release by NASA, the space mission was the third for Cassidy, who has now has spent a total of 378 days in space, the fifth highest total among U.S. astronauts.
While Cassidy was on the station, he completed four spacewalks and contributed to hundreds of experiments, including a study of the influence of gravity on electrolytic gas evolution, which looks at bubbles created using electrolysis.
The space station scientist also worked with the Astrobee system – cube-shaped, free-flying robots that may one day assist astronauts with routine duties – and conducted research for the Onco-Selectors experiment, which leverages microgravity to identify targeted cancer therapies.
After post-landing medical checks last week, the crew headed to their respective homes. Cassidy boarded a NASA plane back to Houston, while Vagner and Ivanishin flew home to Star City, Russia.
“What a ride!” posted the NASA astronaut on his Instagram account, which was peppered with congratulatory and “welcome back” messages along with quips about him considering heading back to space again because of the ongoing pandemic and madness on planet Earth.
Take a closer look at the science Cassidy enabled during this research-filled stay aboard the ISS:
To learn more about space station activities, follow the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
(Images by NASA TV)