{"id":129620,"date":"2022-05-06T05:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T09:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-479399"},"modified":"2023-07-26T16:37:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:37:46","slug":"nasa-esa-astronauts-safely-return-to-earth","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-esa-astronauts-safely-return-to-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA, ESA Astronauts Safely Return to Earth"},"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\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthais Maurer, NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX Shannon recovery ship.\" 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\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg 5568w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?resize=2000,1333 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\">From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthais Maurer, NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX Shannon recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Friday, May 6, 2022. Maurer, Marshburn, Chari, and Barron are returning after 177 days in space as part of Expeditions 66 and 67 aboard the International Space Station. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">u003cstrongu003eCredits: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignaniu003c\/strongu003e<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Editor\u2019s Note: <\/em><\/strong><em>This release was updated on May 9 to update the number of days NASA astronaut Tom<\/em><em> <\/em>Marshburn has logged in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Editor\u2019s Note: <\/em><\/strong><em>This release was updated on May 6 to clarify the Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Maurer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Endurance spacecraft safely splashed down Friday in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, completing the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/crew_3_mission_overview_0.pdf?emrc=28301b\">third long-duration commercial crew mission<\/a> to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/kayla-barron-nasa-astronaut\" rel=\"noopener\">Kayla Barron<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/raja-chari-nasa-astronaut\" rel=\"noopener\">Raja Chari<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/thomas-h-marshburn\/biography\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Marshburn<\/a>, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration\/Astronauts\/Matthias_Maurer\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthias Maurer<\/a> returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 12:43 a.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels recovered the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, the astronauts will fly back to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNASA\u2019s partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before. This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight,\u201d said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. \u201cKayla, Raja, Tom, and Matthias, thank you for your service and welcome home!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Crew-3 mission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-spacex-crew-3-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\" rel=\"noopener\">launched<\/a> Nov. 10 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nearly 24-hours after liftoff, Nov. 11, Endurance docked to the Harmony module\u2019s forward space station port. The astronauts undocked from the same port at 1:05 a.m. May 5, to begin the trip home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer traveled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth. Marshburn has logged 337 days in space over his three flights. The Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Maurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout their mission, the Crew-3 astronauts contributed to a host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/news\/scientific-journey-on-ISS-crew-3\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. In addition, they conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station. This brought the total number of spacewalks for Marshburn to five, while Chari and Barron have each completed two, and Maurer one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crew-3 built on previous work investigating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8214\" rel=\"noopener\">how fibers grow in microgravity<\/a>, used hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8088\" rel=\"noopener\">grow plants without soil or other growth material<\/a>, captured imagery of their retinas as part of an investigation that could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8547\" rel=\"noopener\">detect eye changes of astronauts in space automatically<\/a> in the future, and performed a demonstration of technology that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8467\" rel=\"noopener\">provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection<\/a>, among many other scientific investigations. The astronauts took hundreds of photos of Earth as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/station-science-101\/earth-observation\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Crew Earth Observation<\/a> investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which helps track natural disasters and changes to our home planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Endurance 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-3 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-4 launch, which docked to the station April 27, 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>Dan Huot \/ Sandra Jones<br>Johnson Space Center, Houston<br>281-483-5111<br><a href=\"mailto:daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov\">daniel.g.huot@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 \/>\nDan Huot \/ Sandra Jones<br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov\">daniel.g.huot@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>Editor\u2019s Note: This release was updated on May 9 to update the number of days NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn has logged in space. Editor\u2019s Note: This release was updated on May 6 to clarify the Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Maurer. NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Endurance spacecraft safely splashed down Friday [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":99004,"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":"22-042","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":[2655,2800,3191,8373,2656,2735,3397,3404,3420],"news-tags":[12374,9531],"internal-terms":[12745,9508,9505],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA, ESA Astronauts Safely Return to Earth","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-esa-astronauts-safely-return-to-earth\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-esa-astronauts-safely-return-to-earth\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg"},"articleSection":"Missions","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","Thomas H. Marshburn","Missions","Commercial Crew","Expedition 67","International Space Station (ISS)","Kayla Barron","Raja Chari"],"dateCreated":"2022-05-06T09:04:00Z","datePublished":"2022-05-06T09:04:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T20:37:46Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA, ESA Astronauts Safely Return to Earth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-esa-astronauts-safely-return-to-earth\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2022-05-06T09:04:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Humans in Space,Astronauts,Thomas H. Marshburn,Missions,Commercial Crew,Expedition 67,International Space Station (ISS),Kayla Barron,Raja Chari\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"featured_image":{"id":99004,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/nhq202205060003.jpg","title":"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-3 Splashdown","alt":"From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthais Maurer, NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX Shannon recovery ship.","caption":"From left to right, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthais Maurer, NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX Shannon recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, Friday, May 6, 2022. Maurer, Marshburn, Chari, and Barron are returning after 177 days in space as part of Expeditions 66 and 67 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/129620"}],"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\/129620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450782,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/129620\/revisions\/450782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129620"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=129620"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=129620"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=129620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}