By Marcia Dunn — The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Four space station astronauts returned to Earth Saturday night after a quick flight home on SpaceX.
His capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, near Tampa.
The crew from the United States, Russia and Japan
spent five months
on the International Space Station, after arriving there last October.
In addition to dodging space debris, the astronauts had to deal with several challenges: leaks in a pair of Russian capsules that were docked at the orbiting outpost, and the urgent delivery of a replacement spacecraft for the other crew members of the spacecraft. season.
Led by NASA's Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman to fly in space, the astronauts left the station early Saturday morning.
Less than 19 hours later, their Dragon capsule bobbed
in the sea as they waited for pickup.
Clockwise from left, these are the Expedition 68 flight engineers: Anna Kikina of Roscosmos, Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann of NASA, and Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). );
on the Space Station.NASA via AP
The four astronauts at the time of departure, in October 2022: Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, Anna Kikina and Koichi Wakata. John Raoux / AP
Earlier in the week, strong winds and waves in the splash areas kept them at the station a few days longer than planned.
A week ago their replacements (another four astronauts, one of them an Arab) were sent.
“It was a great trip,”
Mann said on the radio moments after splashdown.
"We are happy to be home."
Mann, a Wailacki member of Northern California's Round Valley Indian Tribes, said he couldn't wait to feel the wind on his face, smell the fresh grass and enjoy some delicious Earth food.
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata craved sushi, while Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina longed to drink hot tea "from a real cup, not a plastic bag."
[Orion capsule sends back stunning photos and videos of the lunar surface]
NASA astronaut Josh Cassada's to-do list included getting a rescue dog for his family.
"Please don't tell our two cats," he joked before leaving the space station.
NASA and SpaceX successfully launch Crew-6 en route to the International Space Station
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Left behind on the space station are three Americans, three Russians and one from the United Arab Emirates.
Wakata, Japan's spaceflight champion, has now logged more than 500 days in space on five missions dating back to NASA's shuttle era.
