Four astronauts return from space station after successful splashdown
WASHINGTON: An international crew of four astronauts is back home on Earth Saturday after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station, returning safely in a SpaceX capsule. The spacecraft carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California's coast at 8.44 am local time. Their return marks the end of the 10th crew rotation mission to the space station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which was created to succeed the Space Shuttle era by partnering with private industry.
The Dragon capsule of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company detached from the International Space Station (ISS) at 2215 GMT on Friday. The capsule's dizzying, 17-hour drop back down to Earth was slowed when it re-entered the atmosphere, then further reined in by the deployment of huge parachutes. After the capsule splashed down, it was recovered by a SpaceX ship and hoisted aboard.
AT SEA: This picture provided by NASA shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft as it lands with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov aboard in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on August 9, 2025. – AFP
Only then were the astronauts able to breathe Earth's air again, for the first time in months. The astronaut team, known as Crew-10, conducted numerous scientific experiments during their time on the space station, including studying plant growth and how cells react to gravity. Their launch into space in March allowed two US astronauts to return home after being unexpectedly stuck onboard the space station for nine months.
When they launched in June 2024, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were only supposed to spend eight days in space on a test of the Boeing Starliner's first crewed flight. However, the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly back, leaving them stranded in space. NASA announced this week that Wilmore has decided to retire after 25 years of service at the US space agency. Last week, US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov boarded the ISS for a six-month mission. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
Swiss pilot surpasses solar-powered plane altitude record
This handout picture taken and released by Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan on August 8, 2025 shows him during his first attempt of the season at setting a new aviation record by reaching an altitude of 10,000 metres onboard the solar-powered plane SolarStratos above Sion, southwestern Switzerland. Weighting 650 kilogrammes and equipped with 22 square metres of solar panels topping the wings, the propeller plane is 9.6 metres long and has a wingspan of 24.8 metres. — AFP GENEVA, Switzerland: Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beat the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane in a flight that took him soaring to 9,521 metres, his team announced Wednesday. The SolarStratos plane made the landmark flight from Sion airport in southwest Switzerland on Tuesday, taking advantage of warm air thermals to go beyond the 15-year-old record. The certified altitude record for a solar plane had stood at 9,235 metres (30,298 feet). It was set in 2010 by the Solar Impulse plane, with Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg at the controls. Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan gives a thumb up prior to take off in his first attempt of the season at setting a new aviation record by reaching an altitude of 10,000 metres onboard the solar-powered plane SolarStratos at the Sion airport, in Sion, southwestern Swizterland on August 8, 2025. Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan surpassed the previous altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane, his team announced on August 13, 2025 after a flight that took him soaring to 9,521 metres. — AFP Domjan's flight lasted five hours and nine minutes. "I share this moment of joy with all the people who have been preparing for this achievement for years," he said, celebrating afterwards with the melted cheese of a traditional Swiss raclette. The data will be sent to the World Air Sports Federation governing body, which will decide whether to validate the new record. "It is the pressure altitude corrected to standard density altitude that is recognised as the official reference for aviation altitude records," the SolarStratos team said in a statement. Domjan is aiming to be the first to take a solar-powered plane above 10,000 metres -- flying at the same altitude as airliners. If this barrier is broken, the team hopes to go on and make a first manned solar-powered flight into the stratosphere, which at Switzerland's latitude begins at around 12,000 metres. "This achievement marks a major milestone on the path toward reaching the stratosphere using only solar power -- and already fulfils the mission's goal: to capture imaginations with emblematic, spectacular challenges that promote solar energy and the protection of our biosphere and planet," SolarStratos said. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Patrick Star and ‘Drag Queen' crab: Underwater robot live stream captivates Argentines
A robot explores the dark, cold, deep sea floor of the South Atlantic, transmitting images of vibrant coral and fish never seen before as scientists give live commentary via YouTube. And Argentines can't get enough of it. The Argentine-American scientific mission is for the first time exploring the Mar del Plata canyon, a submarine gorge which plunges nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) deep, off the coast of the seaside resort of the same name. The awed conversations between scientists leading the expedition and the explanations they give to viewers allow the public a rare insight into the hidden wonders of marine biology. In one instance, the camera on the SuBastian underwater robot shows a weird-looking, little white animal. One of the scientists on the team can be heard asking her colleagues, 'Do we want it?' 'Yes, yes, we want it!' reply dozens of messages in the live stream chat before the image shows the suction device being activated to suck up the specimen for study. 'Oh, I love these little creatures,' says one user. 'I'm obsessed!' comments another. 'Don't take the little one away!' pleads a third. When the live stream began it exceeded one million views per day, before it also began to be broadcast on television. 'There are cold-water corals with the same colors as those in the Caribbean. How can that be? At a depth of 3,000 meters!' Pablo Penchaszadeh, a marine biologist and painter who is on board the expedition as an artist, told AFP. Screen grab shows an octopus at 1114 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Screen grab shows a sea star at 1195 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Screen grab shows a the ROV grabbing underwater flora at 1213 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Screen grab shows a underwater flora at 1213 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and recorded by the ROV SuBastian while being commanded from the oceanographic research vessel RV Falkor (too) on July 26, 2025, displaying the ROV grabbing underwater flora at 1237 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean about 300 Km off Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.--AFP photos Patrick Star The 20-day expedition 'Underwater Oases of the Mar del Plata Canyon' involves 25 scientists -- most of them from the Argentine research agency CONICET. Part of the GEMPA deep sea study group, with support from the US Schmidt Ocean Institute, it was due to end on August 10. Aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's 'Falkor (too)' ship, scientists remotely operate the robot, which can descend to a depth of 4,500 meters (14,700 feet). They collect biological samples with its robotic arms and other instruments, and send back high-definition images. 'The fact that anyone can connect from home and see what we are seeing live is a unique opportunity,' explains expedition leader Daniel Lauretta in a statement. 'Science is no longer something distant or inaccessible, but becomes part of everyday life.' Social media users were delighted when an orange starfish with two symmetrical bumps resembling buttocks appeared on the live stream. It quickly prompted comparisons with Patrick Star, from the popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. Memes circulated joking that 'Patrick is Argentine,' marine biology became a trending topic on social media, and the broadcast reached the screens of hundreds of thousands of captivated viewers. 'I came to see the big-bottomed star, is it here?' asked one user upon entering the YouTube chat. Spectators also gave other sea creatures nicknames: a king crab was dubbed 'Drag Queen,' and a sea cucumber was fondly called 'Sweet Potato.' Screen grab shows a shrimp (Caridea) at 1271 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Handout aerial picture released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute showing the oceanographic research vessel RV Falkor (too) sailing through the South Pacific off the coast of Chile after the reconstruction of its bow. Screen grab shows a squid at 2530 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. Screen grab shows a squid at 1334 metres of depth at the Mar del Plata Canyon in the Argentine Sea. 'Beacon of light' This is the first time that human eyes -- albeit remotely -- have seen this underwater oasis in real time, where the cold, nutrient-rich Falkland Current and warm, salty Brazil Current converge. The confluence is 'one of the most energetic regions in our global Ocean,' according to the website of the Schmidt Institute, with the temperature difference creating an area teeming with marine wildlife and flora. 'We are already seeing incredible things: animals that have never been recorded in this area, underwater landscapes that look like something from another planet, and behaviors that surprise even the most experienced scientists,' said Lauretta. But funding for such expeditions is under threat in Argentina. CONICET, the government's scientific research arm, has been severely underfunded by libertarian President Javier Milei, who has implemented draconian cuts to public spending with his infamous 'chainsaw.' Its budget fell by 21 percent last year, salaries have plummeted by 35 percent since Milei took office in December 2023, and the cuts have led to an exodus of scientists. As a result, in between 'oohs' and 'aahs' of wonder, messages of support are flooding the live stream's chat: 'Long live Conicet!'. 'Seeing people being passionate about their job is attractive,' said Tomas Atilio Luppi, a biologist at the CONICET-affiliated marine and coastal research institute in Mar del Plata, who is not directly involved in the campaign. 'This is happening at a very difficult time,' he told AFP of the popular broadcast. 'Science is in a very complicated position, both financially and in terms of support and human resources.' 'The fact that this craze is happening is like a beacon of light.' - AFP
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
In Darwin's wake: Two-year global conservation voyage sparks hope
After a two-year around-the-world ocean voyage inspired by Charles Darwin, scientists and crew sailed home on a historic vessel into Rotterdam bearing a warning about climate change - but also a message of hope. The majestic three-masted Oosterschelde, the last remaining vessel from a fleet of Dutch schooners that criss-crossed the globe in the early 20th century, arrived to a welcome befitting a voyage of more than 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometers, 46,000 miles). Ceremonially escorted by more than a dozen vessels ranging from tall ships to steamships, all blaring horns, the Oosterschelde received a 'water cannon salute' from fire service boats, as hundreds waved and cheered from the banks. Like Darwin in 1831, the Oosterschelde departed the British port of Plymouth in August 2023 to embark on a voyage of discovery that took in the major stops explored during the British naturalist's world-changing mission aboard the HMS Beagle. From the Falkland Islands to the southern tips of Africa, South America and Australia, the trip closely shadowed Darwin's voyage that inspired his groundbreaking theory of natural selection described in 'On the Origin of Species'. Aboard the Oosterschelde at various points of the voyage were some of the world's best young conservationists, 100 scientists aged 18-25, selected to study a species also observed by Darwin, himself aged 22 at the time of his trip. Giant tortoises, Chilean dolphins, and howler monkeys were just some of the weird and wonderful creatures the young 'Darwin Leaders' investigated, tracking changes since their appearance in 'Origin of Species' two centuries ago. With 'online classrooms' onboard and slick social media output, the mission also hoped to inspire a new generation around the message: 'Conservation isn't about what we've lost, it's about protecting what we still have.' 'Barely anything left' One of the Darwin Leaders, 23-year-old Lotta Baten, spent a week on the ship and conducted a study into the impact of tourism on forests in Tenerife, Spain. She said only roughly four percent of the forest that Darwin would have seen from the Beagle is still alive today, with much torn down to support the tourism industry. 'There's barely anything left, mainly the strips around the coast,' the Dutch-German scientist told AFP. She said it was 'quite something' to follow in the footsteps of Darwin, but noted that the botanist's legacy is divided, as a European in colonial times. 'He basically explored and discovered things that maybe had already been explored and discovered by people at the places themselves. And then he claimed he discovered them,' said Baten. Science co-ordinator Rolf Schreuder admitted that 'it's not a rosy picture', with habitat loss and climate change all transforming the environment beyond what Darwin would have recognized. 'You see the natural world degrading in many places,' the 55-year-old told AFP. But Schreuder, like many on board, found the mission inspiring rather than depressing. He ran more than 100 local projects during the trip with people seeking to preserve their landscapes. 'We met so many great people that are actually on the ground working on the survival of those species,' he said. He found himself inspired too by the young scientists, 'full of ideas, full of commitment and determination to really make a difference.' 'Do another tour' Crew member Daan van Roosmalen was a boy of 17 when he set sail on the Oosterschelde. He returned to his native Netherlands having just turned 19. 'I've just been to so many places. To the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia. We went so far away and to then sail back up this river and see the skyline of Rotterdam again is just super special,' he told AFP. He said he hoped the round-the-world voyage completed by scientists and crew his age would send a message to his generation. 'I think it's very important that we keep inspiring young people to look after our world, because we are going to be the ones taking over,' he said. 'So to see all these young conservationists putting so much effort in Mother Earth... I think that should inspire more people to also take care of our planet.' And what of Darwin, the inspiration behind the mission? 'I would say he would have been enthused by his fellow young people taking care of this natural world, which he described so nicely,' said Schreuder. 'I think he would hop on this boat again and do another tour.' — AFP
