- Two Russian astronauts and one NASA astronaut have returned from the International Space Station.
- Their six-month journey was marked by scientific experiments and crossovers with other astronaut teams.
- Watch NASA’s footage of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft on Saturday.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
A six-month voyage aboard the International Space Station ended two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut: the three crew members returned to Earth safely around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday amid clear skies.
The crew will depart on October 14, 2020 for the space station inside a Russian spacecraft called the Soyuz MS-17. Their landing means the end of Expedition 64, or the 64th long-term expedition to the ISS.
In total, the crew completed approximately 2,960 orbits of the earth.
The flight home took less than three and a half hours, and the spacecraft landed just outside the city of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. NASA captured footage of the crew’s smooth descent (approximately one hour and 14 minutes in the video below):
Once the crew landed, Russian search and rescue teams rushed to help them leave. The crew commander, Russian astronaut Sergey Ryzhikov, was first out of the spacecraft, followed by the two flight engineers: NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russian astronaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
From there, the crew underwent medical examinations while sitting on chairs so that they could re-adapt to the Earth’s climate. They could also call friends and family.
Rubins is now going to fly home to Houston, Texas. Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov will return to their homes in Star City, Russia.
NASA ISS crew member Kathleen Rubins poses for a photo on her return.
NASA / Bill Ingalls / Reuters
The departure of Soyuz MS-17 will make way for new astronauts on the ISS
Expedition 64 was first aboard the ISS for Kud-Sverchkov, but the second time for Rubins and Ryzhikov.
Rubins, a microbiologist, became the first person in 2016 to sequence DNA in space. She continued her DNA sequencing work during this last mission, with the ultimate goal of helping astronauts diagnose diseases in space or identifying microbes at the space station to see if they pose health problems.
Rubins also completed two spaceships, cultivated radishes in orbit and took photos of Hurricane Zeta as it approached Louisiana. To round it off, she studied how changes in gravity affect cardiovascular cells – research that could provide clues about heart problems on earth.
The ISS crew after landing outside Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
NASA / Bill Ingalls / Reuters
Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov also conducted hundreds of scientific experiments aboard the space station.
The crew also had company: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts joined them in November and will remain there until the end of April. The team consists of three NASA astronauts – Commander Mike Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Shannon Walker – as well as Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
Walker is now the station commander of Expedition 65, which began Friday.
Another Russian spacecraft, the Soyuz MS-18, arrived at the ISS on April 9 with two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut on board.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 will take off to the space station next Thursday, April 22, bringing the total number of people on board to 11. At most, the ISS held 13 people at a time.