Crew of International Space Station returns safely to Earth

The three astronauts and one cosmonaut who made up NASA's Crew-12 mission returned safely to Earth Thursday after an almost eight-month trip to the International Space Station.

The crew included NASA's Jessica Meir, the commander of the mission, and pilot Jack Hathaway, along with mission specialists Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia's Roscosmos. They landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

What was Crew-12’s mission? The Crew-12 mission was the 20th time SpaceX had sent humans into orbit. During the eight months at the space station, NASA said the crew completed dozens of science experiments and research, including studies of stem cells, the growth of crystals in space and bone loss in microgravity. They were also able to leave the space station. Meir conducted four spacewalks totaling just over 27 hours to perform maintenance and upgrade the aging orbital outpost. Adenot performed three spacewalks.

Before departing, members of the Crew-12 mission were relieved by the three astronauts and one cosmonaut of Crew-13, who arrived at the space station last week to start a six-month rotation.

In a news conference before they returned, Meir said she couldn't wait to be reunited with her 3-year-old daughter and was looking forward to seeing nature again. However, she said she will miss the weightlessness and the incredible views.