Home · Science · Oct 8 archive
NASA's Crew-12 Returns to Earth After 8-Month Mission
Confirmed
In Short: Four astronauts from NASA's Crew-12 mission undocked from the International Space Station on Wednesday evening and are set to return to Earth.
Four astronauts from NASA's Crew-12 mission undocked from the International Space Station in a SpaceX Dragon capsule named Freedom on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m., marking the end of their eight-month stay in space.
During their mission, the crew conducted numerous scientific experiments and technology advancements aimed at preparing for future Moon and Mars missions and benefiting life on Earth.
The crew members include two Americans, one Canadian, and one Russian, who embarked on their multi-month stay at the International Space Station in February.
Their return journey began about 45 minutes before undocking, traveling at an orbital speed of 17,500 mph.
One of the astronauts expressed her excitement about returning to Earth, saying, 'So looking forward to seeing nature again, feeling the breeze on my face, the wind rustling through the leaves. Experiencing all those things that we don't have up here.'
The crew completed dozens of science experiments and research during their time in space, including studies on stem cells, crystal growth in microgravity, and bone loss.
NASA has been committed to having multiple crew transportation options since the beginning of the Commercial Crew Program, with plans to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028.
The zero gravity experienced in spaceflight forces the heart to act very differently than it does on Earth, leading to concerns about the impact on human anatomy during long-duration missions.
NASA identified more than 100 locations where ablative thermal protective material from Orion’s heat shield wore away differently than expected during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
The Artemis 2 Orion crew capsule will hit the discernible atmosphere some 75 miles above the Pacific Ocean at a blistering 24,000 mph during its return.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are preparing to return home with Crew-9 after spending an unexpected, nine-month stay in space.
NASA and Boeing officials discussed Starliner’s development and plans for regular crew flights to and from the International Space Station during a briefing on Monday.
What this adds
The crew's return comes after Crew-11 returned to Earth a month early due to a medical concern, marking the first time a mission has been cut short in ISS history.
The Crew-12 mission's duration was extended to ensure the International Space Station returned to full staffing levels.
What's confirmed
- The crew launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Feb. 13.
What's still developing
- The two-time space veteran said there were two things she'd miss about space: weightlessness and the wonderful views of Earth.
- The reason for the skeletal staffing is that last month, Crew-11 returned to Earth a month early due to a “medical concern” with one of the astronauts, marking the first time a mission has been cut short in ISS history.
- “Our current plan is to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028.” The update follows findings released by NASA in February from its Program Investigation Team into issues that led to an uncrewed return of Starliner during its first crewed flight in 2024.
- NASA and other space agencies have been concerned for years that the 6-9 month travel time to get to the Red Planet could have such a deleterious impact on human anatomy that any crewed mission would fail before it even began.
- Left to its own devices, the heart will shrink small enough to cause low blood pressure, reduced stamina, and in some cases fainting - or what cardiologists call “orthostatic intolerance”.
- The study published in Circulation was intended to monitor physical adaptations the heart made during an astronaut’s time in space, to see if the cardiovascular changes they undergo with the exercise regimen in place are severe enough to affect a crewed Mars mission.
- The announcement was made during a briefing on Monday that included NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program manager Dana Weigel and Boeing Commercial Crew vice president and program manager John Mulholland.
- According to SpaceX, the backup window opens at 10:47 a.m.
- “Apollo was such a rapid pace that I don’t think people had the chance to think about it very much. It has only become more clear to me later on that we were making history,” said Windler in a 2006 oral history interview for the University of North Texas.
- “However, it was decided that this display was inappropriate, especially since the mission was only half over,” wrote Windler in a 2020 letter accompanying one of the flags that had since been acquired by a collector.
- Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m.
- Nelson manages 31 active flight directors and flight directors-in-training who oversee a variety of human spaceflight missions, including the Artemis missions.