Latest news with #Crew10
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX astronauts splashdown safely off Southern California coast
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — After more than four months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), four astronauts safely returned to Earth on Saturday morning with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego, wrapping up NASA and SpaceX's Crew-10 mission. According to SpaceX, the Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS at 6 05 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 8, and completed a series of precise 'orbit-lowering maneuvers' before re-entering Earth's atmosphere. The capsule made a successful splashdown at 11:33 a.m. EDT on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 17 hours since the crew's departure. Four astronauts safely returned to Earth Saturday morning with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego. (Credit: SpaceX) Aboard the spacecraft were NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. All four crewmembers are reported to be in good health following recovery operations. The mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, marked a 145-day stay in orbit. The Dragon capsule autonomously docked with the ISS just over a day after launch and supported a wide range of scientific research during its time in space. Four astronauts safely returned to Earth Saturday morning with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego. (Credit: SpaceX) While in orbit, Crew-10 contributed to experiments aimed at advancing future human space exploration and improving life on Earth, including studies on microgravity's effects on human health and new technologies for long-duration missions, SpaceX officials explained. This Dragon spacecraft has now completed multiple missions, having previously flown NASA's Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7 missions. The Falcon 9 rocket used in this mission also marked its second flight, previously launching the SES 03b mPOWER satellite. NASA and SpaceX streamed the re-entry and splashdown live via webcast and on the new X TV app, giving space enthusiasts a front-row seat to the exciting conclusion of the mission. The safe return off California's southern coast marks another milestone in the ongoing partnership between NASA and SpaceX as they continue to advance crewed spaceflight capabilities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX's Crew-10 astronauts return to Earth after nearly 5 months in space (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SpaceX's Crew-10 astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday (Aug. 9) after living on the International Space Station for nearly five months. The mission's Crew Dragon capsule, named Endurance, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 GMT; 8:33 a.m. local California time). "From the entire Crew-10, thank you," radioed Anne McClain, NASA astronaut and Dragon commander, soon after splashdown. "It was truly the ride of a lifetime." As its name suggests, Crew-10 was the 10th operational astronaut mission that SpaceX has flown to and from the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, via the agency's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crewmembers were McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA, Takuya Onishi of JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency. McClain commanded Crew-10, Ayers was the pilot and Onishi and Peskov were mission specialists. The flight launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 14 and arrived at the orbiting lab two days later. Crew-10's four astronauts soon set to conducting science work, which consumed much of their time over the ensuing months. "During their stay in space, the crew studied space-caused mental and physical changes in astronauts, blood flow from the brain to the heart, future lunar navigation techniques and more," NASA officials wrote in a blog post on Monday (Aug. 4). The wheels for Crew-10's departure began turning last Saturday (Aug. 2), when SpaceX's four-person Crew-11 mission arrived at the ISS. The Crew-10 astronauts spent a few days advising their replacements, then set their minds to gearing up for the return to Earth — and reflecting on their orbital experience. "We got to accomplish a lot of really amazing operational things," Ayers said during a farewell ceremony on Tuesday (Aug. 5). "We got to see some amazing views, and we have had some really big belly laughs and a wonderful time together," she added. "I think that [we're] leaving with a heart full of gratitude, and [we're] excited to see where the International Space Station goes after we get home." Related Stories: — Meet the astronauts of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission — International Space Station: Everything you need to know about the orbital laboratory — SpaceX's Crew-11 astronauts arrive at the International Space Station (video) The hatches between Endurance and the ISS closed on Friday (Aug. 8) at 4:20 p.m. EDT (2020 GMT), and the capsule undocked about two hours later, at 6:15 p.m. EDT (2205 GMT). Endurance then began maneuvering its way back to Earth, setting up its splashdown today. It was the first Pacific Ocean return for a SpaceX CCP mission; all previous such flights have come down off the Florida coast. SpaceX recently shifted to West Coast reentries for all of its Dragon missions, both crewed and uncrewed, to minimize the chance that falling space debris could damage property or injure people. Crew-10 wasn't the first SpaceX astronaut mission of any type to land in the Pacific, however; the private Fram2 and Axiom 4 flights did so earlier this year. Crew-10 was the first spaceflight for Ayers and Peskov and the second for McClain and Onishi. Onishi served as commander of the ISS' current Expedition 73 from April until this past Tuesday, when he handed the reins over to cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov. Editor's note: This story was updated at noon ET on Aug. 9 with news of successful splashdown. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spokane astronaut Anne McClain, Crew-10 safely splashdown on 'greatest planet in the solar system'
Aug. 9—Spokane native and NASA astronaut Anne McClain has now safely traveled to space and back, twice. McClain, a U.S Army Colonel and commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, Saturday morning at 8:33 a.m. Pacific Time alongside her team of space travelers. The crew's arrival back on Earth marks the end of a 148-day round-trip, with all but two of those days spent aboard the International Space Station conducting groundbreaking research, maintenance and educational downlinks, much like the one McClain held with Spokane students at her Alma Mater Gonzaga Preparatory School in May. On Tuesday, the members of Crew-10 each took a moment to reflect on their time in microgravity at a changing of the guard ceremony with Crew-11, who arrived last week. The predominant theme was gratitude: for the experience with one another, the support of those on Earth and, as McClain put it, "to represent humanity." "All of us are keenly aware that we may never get to do this again," McClain said. "We've been very pensive over the last few days, understanding what we have all got to be a part of. And we know that there's some tumultuous times on Earth. ... We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together." Returning with McClain were NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Roscosmos is the Russian space agency. The world may seem different then when she left it, but their mission was only a "short snapshot" of a decades-long international collaboration for the betterment of humanity, McClain said. In November, the International Space Station will mark 25 years of being continually staffed with human crews. "I truly believe that this is one of the biggest feats of cooperation that humans have ever accomplished. It takes people from every country, all around the world, every single day, showing up to support this mission, to make it happen." McClain said the crew will be returning to Earth at a time when the geopolitical landscape is not unlike that of 40 years ago, when the idea of the International Space Station first arose amid high political tensions between global powers. "There's a lot of people that would say 'That's not going to be possible,'" McClain said. "But all it took was visionaries from all around the world to work together, to have a mustard seed of faith that something like this could be done when we work together." McClain and company landed in the Pacific Ocean Saturday aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule that ferried them to the station, called Endurance. The trip took more than 17 hours after undocking from the ISS while roughly 260 miles above Jakarta, Indonesia. The completely autonomous return flight started at an orbiting speed of around 17,500 mph before eventually being slowed by the Endurance's thrusters in a roughly 18-minute deorbit burn, which allowed the craft to drop into the Earth's atmosphere and cut the flight speed by 100 yards per second. Temperatures around the craft reached as high as 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit due to the friction generated as the Endurance pushed and rubbed against the air around it, super heating the molecules into a plasma. A series of parachutes were deployed after the pod reached an altitude of about 18,000 feet, followed by a deployment of four larger chutes at around 6,500 feet from the Earth's surface. Contact with the Endurance cut out for approximately 7 minutes during re-entry, which happens due to intense heat and plasma buildup, a NASA spokesperson said. The crew were traveling at a speed of around 16 mph by the time they hit the water, after experiencing gravitational forces as high as 5-G's on the way down. Laying in wait for Crew-10 was the SpaceX recovery ship dubbed "Shannon," one of two crafts used to recover Dragon capsules from aquatic landing zones. Equipped with a specialized crane, a helipad, medical experts and technical crews, the ship has been used in more than 20 recovery missions since 2019. Around 9:20 a.m., the space travelers were assisted out of the Endurance as the effects of gravity washed over them for the first time in more than five months. McClain flashed several smiles, while raising her arms triumphantly, as she shakily made her way out. Crew-10 is the first to land in the Pacific as part of the space agency's commercial crew program, through which NASA partners with various companies for more cost effective human spaceflight. With their home base in Hawthorne, California, SpaceX has previously recovered capsules in the area three times , including the Axiom 4 mission, a private 20-day space flight to the station and back between June and July. The Axiom 4 crew included retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the record for any American with the most days in space at 695. Whitson was on the astronaut selection committee that selected McClain in 2013, and McClain was on the 2021 selection committee that selected Ayers. McClain commemorated their cosmic reunion with a social media post and a pair of photos on July 10. "When you reach your goals, send the elevator back down!" McClain wrote. Now with two space flights under her belt, McClain has spent 352 days in space and participated in three spacewalks for a total of 18 hours and 52 minutes. She may add to that resume in the years to come as a member of the Artemis program, which seeks to return humans to the moon. But McClain indicated Tuesday that for now, she's just excited to be back on "the greatest planet in the solar system." "We've checked," she said. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
09-08-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Returns to Earth Successfully
NASA and SpaceX Crew-10 Mission to the International Space Station splashed-down to Earth successfully. The crew returns to Earth after a 5 month mission to the International Space Station. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Crew-10 astronauts return to Earth following five-month mission
STORY: :: NASA :: Four astronauts from NASA's Crew-10 mission return to Earth after a five-month mission :: August 9, 2025 :: San Diego, California U.S. astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, the Crew-10 commander, boarded the gumdrop-shaped Dragon capsule on Friday afternoon along with Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov ahead of a 17.5-hour trek back to Earth to a splashdown site off the California coast. The four-person crew launched to the ISS on March 14 in a routine mission that replaced the Crew-9 crew, which included NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronaut pair left on the station by Boeing's Starliner capsule. NASA said they are returning to Earth with "important and time-sensitive research" conducted in the microgravity environment of the ISS during the 146-day mission. The astronauts had over 200 science experiments on their to-do list.
