NASA’s Crew-2 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico late Monday after 199 days on the International Space Station.
The crew—NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide, and the European Space Agency’s Thoma Pequet—returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour, landing just after 10:30 p.m. off the coast of Florida.
As Kimbrough was pulled from the capsule, he smiled and flashed a peace sign.
In a tweet late Monday, NASA said: “Smiles, thumbs up, and peace signs. The @SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts are happy to be home after six months in space.”
Smiles, thumbs up, and peace signs. The @SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts are happy to be home after six months in space. pic.twitter.com/W9ziABkq0k
— NASA (@NASA) November 9, 2021
The astronauts had been on board the ISS since April as part of NASA’s first long-duration commercial mission. During their stay, the crew conducted hundreds of experiments—even growing the first chile peppers in space.
Early Monday afternoon, the crew began the journey home, undocking from the ISS to kick off the eight-hour trip back to Earth—without the use of the bathroom onboard. The Endeavour experienced an adhesive issue that allowed urine to leak out of a tube connected to the storage tank. For the return flight, the astronauts were told they’d need to use their undergarments as backup.
Once undocked, the crew took photos of the outside of the ISS. The stationary exterior cameras on the ISS do not provide a complete view of the station, leaving the full picture up to the incoming and outgoing crews.
The spacecraft flew completely autonomously, requiring no input from the astronauts inside.
Taking Turns in Space
Replacing them will be the Crew-3 astronauts, set to begin their trip to the ISS on Wednesday at 9:03 p.m. EST. NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agency’s Matthias Maurer will be flying aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Crew-3 was originally scheduled for a Halloween launch but was delayed because of inclement weather. Shortly after, the launch was delayed once again, this time because of a minor medical issue for an unidentified crew member. NASA reported that the condition was not COVID-19-related.
The spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Crew-3′s mission will mark SpaceX’s fourth crewed trip to the ISS and fifth crewed spaceflight since May 2020.
The ISS’s change-in-command is taking place as an “indirect takeover” in which Crew-2 is not able to welcome Crew-3 on the station. Typically, crews will introduce each other to the intricacies of living in space, but owing to multiple delays for both crews, a “Direct Takeover” was not possible.
