{"id":142703,"date":"2022-10-14T21:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-15T01:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-483360"},"modified":"2023-07-26T16:41:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:41:54","slug":"nasas-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-atlantic","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-atlantic\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Atlantic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1451\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"NASA, SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft lands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. \" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg 4000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=300,213 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=768,544 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=1024,726 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=1536,1088 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=2048,1451 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=400,283 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=600,425 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=900,638 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=1200,850 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?resize=2000,1417 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen as it lands with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">u003cstrongu003eCredits: NASAu003c\/strongu003e<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down Friday off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, completing the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_mission_overview.pdf?emrc=b946a5\">fourth<\/a> commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 170 days in orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/bob-hines-nasa-astronaut\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Hines<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/kjell-n-lindgren\/biography\" rel=\"noopener\">Kjell Lindgren<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/jessica-watkins-phd-nasa-astronaut\" rel=\"noopener\">Jessica Watkins<\/a> and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esa.int%2FScience_Exploration%2FHuman_and_Robotic_Exploration%2FAstronauts%2FSamantha_Cristoforetti&data=05%7C01%7Cjoshua.a.finch%40nasa.gov%7C58f03a01d4fa49a5f95e08daae15a0cf%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C638013705155049113%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=lumztgZLlfkXny%2FuUzRcj0LufdEypzChAhHPlz33enM%3D&reserved=0\" rel=\"noopener\">Samantha Cristoforetti<\/a> returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 4:55 p.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, all astronauts will fly to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Cristoforetti then will board a plane to Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWelcome home Crew-4! This international crew has spent nearly six months on the International Space Station conducting science for the benefit of all. Their work aboard the orbiting laboratory will help prepare future explorers for future space missions,\u201d said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. \u201cWorking and living on the space station is the opportunity of a lifetime, but it also requires these explorers to make sacrifices, especially time away from loved ones. Kjell, Bob, Jessica and Samantha, thank you for your contributions over the past six months to science, innovation, and discovery!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crew-4 mission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-launch-to-international-space-station\" rel=\"noopener\">launched<\/a> at 3:52 a.m. EDT April 27 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Less than 16 hours later, Dragon docked to the Harmony module\u2019s space-facing port. The astronauts undocked from the same port at 12:05 p.m. Friday, to begin the trip home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hines, Lindgren, Watkins, and Cristoforetti traveled 72,168,935 miles during their mission, spent 170 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,720 orbits around Earth. Lindgren has logged 311 days in space over his two flights, and with the completion of their flight today, Cristoforetti has logged 369 days in space on her two flights, making her second on the all-time list for most days in space by a woman. The Crew-4 mission was the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout their mission, the Crew-4 astronauts contributed to a host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/news\/crew-4-scientific-journey-on-iss\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Cristoforetti completed two spacewalks with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev to perform station maintenance and upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crew-4 continued work on investigations documenting how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7870\" rel=\"noopener\">improvements to the space diet<\/a> affect immune function and the gut microbiome, determining the effect of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8266\" rel=\"noopener\">fuel temperature on the flammability<\/a> of a material, exploring possible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7898\" rel=\"noopener\">adverse effects on astronaut hearing<\/a> from equipment noise and microgravity, and studying whether additives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7963\" rel=\"noopener\">increase or decrease the stability of emulsions<\/a>. The astronauts also investigated microgravity-induced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8343\" rel=\"noopener\">changes in the human immune system similar to aging<\/a>, tested a novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8369\" rel=\"noopener\">water-reclamation membrane<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8634\" rel=\"noopener\">examined a concrete alternative<\/a> made with a material found in lunar and Martian dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spacecraft, named Freedom by Crew-4, will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX\u2019s Dragon Lair, where teams will examine the spacecraft\u2019s data and performance throughout the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crew-4 flight is part of NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/commercial\/crew\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Commercial Crew Program<\/a> and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-5 launch, which docked to the station Oct. 6, beginning another science expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This already has provided additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity\u2019s microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew program at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew\"><strong>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">-end-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joshua Finch<br>Headquarters, Washington<br>202-358-1100<br><a href=\"mailto:joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov\">joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kathleen Ellis<br>Kennedy Space Center, Fla.<br>321-867-2468<br><a href=\"mailto:kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov\">kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leah Cheshier \/ Sandra Jones<br>Johnson Space Center, Houston<br>281-483-5111<br><a href=\"mailto:leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov\">leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov\">sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Joshua Finch<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-358-1100<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov\">joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov<\/a><br \/>\nKathleen Ellis<br \/>\nKennedy Space Center, Fla.<br \/>\n321-867-2468<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov\">kathleen.h.ellis@nasa.gov<\/a><br \/>\nLeah Cheshier \/ Sandra Jones<br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov\">leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov\">sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down Friday off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, completing the agency\u2019s fourth commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 170 days in orbit. NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":144704,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"22-106","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[2861,2800,3412,3191,8374,2656,2735,3433,2862,3418],"news-tags":[12374],"internal-terms":[12745,9508],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Atlantic","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-atlantic\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-atlantic\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Humans in Space","Astronauts","Kjell N. Lindgren","Johnson Space Center","Bob Hines","Commercial Crew","Expedition 68","International Space Station (ISS)","Jessica Watkins","Kennedy Space Center"],"dateCreated":"2022-10-15T01:18:00Z","datePublished":"2022-10-15T01:18:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T20:41:54Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 Astronauts Safely Splash Down in Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-spacex-crew-4-astronauts-safely-splash-down-in-atlantic\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2022-10-15T01:18:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Humans in Space,Astronauts,Kjell N. Lindgren,Johnson Space Center,Bob Hines,Commercial Crew,Expedition 68,International Space Station (ISS),Jessica Watkins,Kennedy Space Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"featured_image":{"id":144704,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/crew-4_splashdown.jpg","title":"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-4 Splashdown","alt":"NASA, SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft lands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.","caption":"The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen as it lands with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti are returning after 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Bill Ingalls)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/142703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/142703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444669,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/142703\/revisions\/444669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142703"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=142703"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=142703"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=142703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}