A team of astronauts and cosmonauts has just wrapped up an incredible achievement in space exploration. They landed back on Earth after a remarkable 245 days spent on the International Space Station (ISS). This mission was the first spaceflights for NASA astronaut Jeremy Kim and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Zubritsky. At the same time, his cosmonaut crewmate Sergey Ryzhikov logged his third trip to space.
The crew, who left on an unprecedented journey wheelchair user, height blind, represented an equally diverse population of earthlings and humanity. The herorated the Earth about 3,920 times. Over the course of a very successful mission, they flew almost 104 million miles. They flew many scientific experiments and added to other research projects to make great strides in our understanding of long-duration spaceflight.
The capsule transporting the crew will land in just a few hours near the city of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. This site has hosted dozens of landings of returning space missions over the years. The return marks the close of what has been a highly productive tenure aboard the ISS. While onboard, the crew contributed to many science studies and completed routine maintenance and safety procedures.
Kim and Zubritsky, both on their first flights as astronauts, marveled at their breathtaking new perspectives of the planet. Their participation indicating the crisscrossing collaboration amongst international space agencies is even more hopeful. It underscores the critical imperative to be training the next generations of astronauts and cosmonauts. Ryzhikov is an exceptionally valuable fount of knowledge on the mission’s dangers. Having spent time aboard the ISS, he knows firsthand the intricacies and challenges of living and working in microgravity environments.
With the successful completion of this mission, we set the stage for our continued focusing on the progress we’ve made in human space exploration. The data collected during the 245 days will aid scientists and researchers in understanding how conditions in space affect human health and performance over extended periods.
