{"id":52129,"date":"2018-12-20T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T10:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-437765"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:14:56","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:14:56","slug":"nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-to-earth-after-197-day-mission-in-space","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-to-earth-after-197-day-mission-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Return to Earth After 197-Day Mission in Space"},"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\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Expedition 57 crew members Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor of NASA, and Alexander Gerst of ESA\" 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\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png 3985w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=300,77 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=768,196 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=1024,262 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=1536,393 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=2048,524 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=400,102 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=600,153 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=900,230 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=1200,307 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?resize=2000,511 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\">Expedition 57 crew members Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor of NASA, and Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) emerge one at a time from the Soyuz MS-09 that carried them home from the International Space Station Dec. 20, 2018, after a 197-day mission. The spacecraft touched down in Kazakhstan at 12:02 a.m. EST, marking the end of a voyage that took them around the globe 3,152 times, covering 83.3 million miles. <strong>Credits: NASA Television<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Three members of the International Space Station\u2019s Expedition 57 crew, including NASA astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/serena-m-aunon-chancellor\">Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor<\/a>, returned to Earth Thursday, safely landing at 12:02 a.m. EST (11:02 a.m. local time) in Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor and her crewmates, Expedition 57 Commander <a href=\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/Our_Activities\/Human_Spaceflight\/Astronauts\/Alexander_Gerst\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexander Gerst<\/a> of ESA (European Space Agency) and Soyuz Commander <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=201\" rel=\"noopener\">Sergey Prokopyev<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/astronauts-safely-in-orbit-following-launch-to-international-space-station\">launched June 6<\/a> and arrived at the space station two days later to begin their mission. Over 197 days, they circled the globe 3,152 times, covering 83.3 million miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the last 16 days of her mission, Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor was joined by fellow NASA astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/anne-c-mcclain\">Anne McClain<\/a>, marking the first time in which the only two U.S. astronauts on a mission both were women.<\/p>\n\n\n<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\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor of NASA after landing on Dec. 20, 2018.\" 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\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg 3639w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=300,204 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=768,521 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=1024,695 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=1536,1043 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=2048,1391 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=400,272 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=600,407 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=900,611 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=1200,815 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/nhq2018122000042.jpg?resize=2000,1358 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor of NASA rests in a chair after she, Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency), and Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmo, landed in their Soyuz MS-09 capsule in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Dec. 20, 2018. Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor, Gerst, and Prokopyev are returning after 197 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 56 and 57 crews onboard the International Space Station. <strong>Credits: NASA\/Bill Ingalls<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Expedition 57 crew contributed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/overview.html\">hundreds of experiments<\/a> in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the world-class orbiting laboratory. Highlights included investigations into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7502\">new cancer treatment methods<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7446\">algae growth in space<\/a>. The crew also installed a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Facility.html?#id=7676\">Life Sciences Glovebox<\/a>, a sealed work area for life science and technology investigations that can accommodate two astronauts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was the first flight for Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor and Prokopyev and the second for Gerst, who \u2013 with a total of 362 days in orbit \u2013 now holds the flight duration record among ESA astronauts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prokopyev completed two spacewalks totaling 15 hours and 31 minutes. During a 7 hour, 45 minute <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/2018\/12\/11\/russian-spacewalkers-complete-crew-vehicle-inspection\/\" rel=\"noopener\">spacewalk Dec. 11<\/a>, he and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=3304\" rel=\"noopener\">Oleg Kononenko<\/a> of Roscosmos retrieved patch samples and took digital images of a repair made to the habitation module of the Soyuz MS-09 in which the Expedition 57 trio rode home. The space station crew located and, within hours of its detection, repaired a small hole inside the Soyuz in August. The spacecraft was thoroughly checked and deemed safe for return to Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Soyuz undocked at 8:40 p.m. Dec. 19, Expedition 58 began aboard the station, with McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Kononenko comprising a three-person crew. The next residents on the space station \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/tyler-nick-hague\">Nick Hague<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/christina-h-koch\">Christina Koch<\/a> of NASA and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gctc.ru\/main.php?id=196\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexey Ovchinin<\/a> of Roscosmos \u2013 will launch Feb. 28 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to join their crewmates, marking the start of Expedition 59.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more than 18 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 230 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,400 research investigations from researchers in more than 103 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep up with the International Space Station, its research and crews at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/station\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/instagram.com\/iss\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>and<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a class=\"twitter-timeline\" data-width=\"500\" data-height=\"750\" data-dnt=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"noopener\">Tweets by Space_Station<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>-end-<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Stephanie Schierholz<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-358-1100<br \/>\nstephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov<br \/>\nGary Jordan<br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\ngary.j.jordan@nasa.gov<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three members of the International Space Station\u2019s Expedition 57 crew, including NASA astronaut Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor, returned to Earth Thursday, safely landing at 12:02 a.m. EST (11:02 a.m. local time) in Kazakhstan. Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor and her crewmates, Expedition 57 Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) and Soyuz Commander Sergey Prokopyev, launched June 6 and arrived at [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":53852,"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":"18-121","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":[8363,8364,2656,2735,2861,2867],"news-tags":[12345],"internal-terms":[9514,9508],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Return to Earth After 197-Day Mission in Space","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-to-earth-after-197-day-mission-in-space\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-to-earth-after-197-day-mission-in-space\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png"},"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":["NASA Centers & Facilities","NASA Headquarters","Expedition 57","Expedition 58","Humans in Space","International Space Station (ISS)","Johnson Space Center"],"dateCreated":"2018-12-20T10:01:00Z","datePublished":"2018-12-20T10:01:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:14:56Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Return to Earth After 197-Day Mission in Space\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-to-earth-after-197-day-mission-in-space\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2018-12-20T10:01:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,NASA Headquarters,Expedition 57,Expedition 58,Humans in Space,International Space Station (ISS),Johnson 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":53852,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/exp57-landing.png","title":"exp57-landing","alt":"Expedition 57 crew members Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos, Serena Au\u00f1\u00f3n-Chancellor of NASA, and Alexander Gerst of ESA","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52129"}],"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":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":369824,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/52129\/revisions\/369824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52129"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=52129"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=52129"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=52129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}