During more than seven months living on the International Space Station, astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission researched stem cell production, on-demand IV fluid generation and the bacteria that causes pneumonia. Now, they’re back home.
“Research conducted aboard the space station advances knowledge and demonstrates new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars,” said NASA.
Members of the crew included NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot from France and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, Calif., a little after 8:30 a.m. Thursday, NASA said.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched this mission (its Dragon spacecraft’s 12th operational human spaceflight mission) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this February. The Dragon spacecraft that docked Crew-12 at the space station on Feb. 14 previously flew the Crew-4, Ax-2, Ax-3, and Crew-9 missions to and from the space station, according to SpaceX.
While on the space station – a habitable satellite that has been continuously occupied by humans for 25 years – Crew-12 logged “hundreds of hours of scientific research to support human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and advance benefits for people on Earth,” NASA said. In addition to testing stem cell production for cell‑based therapies, demonstrating on‑demand IV fluid generation for future missions, and studying how bacteria that causes pneumonia can lead to long‑term heart damage, the team also conducted nutrition-focused research and examined how physical characteristics may affect blood flow during spaceflight to help keep astronauts safe and healthy on future missions.
NASA hopes to send its first crewed mission to Mars in the future. Its current Artemis program is sending astronauts on “increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits,” and to lay the foundation for a mission to Mars.
Although the Crew-12 mission wasn’t part of the Artemis program, it also helped lay that foundation.
“Jessica, Jack, Sophie, and Andrey spent 237 days living and working in orbit, traveled more than 100 million miles, advanced important science, and returned safely home because of the extraordinary expertise and competence of thousands across NASA, SpaceX, and our international partners,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman of the Crew-12 mission. “Building the capability, experience, and confidence to do this repeatedly is exactly what will allow us to go farther, and I am grateful to Crew-12 and their families for their service to humanity’s greatest adventure.”
Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center also noted that: “NASA’s activities supporting the International Space Station – transporting crew, conducting impactful research, and maintaining critical national assets – enable the science, engineering, and risk‑reduction needed for future missions across the solar system.”
Crew-12 traveled more than 100 million miles and completed more than 3,792 orbits around Earth during their mission. It was the second space mission for Meir and Fedyaev and the first for Hathaway and Adenot. Meir completed four spacewalks, bringing her career total to seven. At NASA, astronauts Peggy Whitson and Suni Williams are the only women who have completed more spacewalks. Adenot also completed three spacewalks, “becoming the first French woman to venture outside the orbital outpost,” according to NASA.
According to the space agency, the Crew-12 members will discuss their science mission during a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT, next Thursday, Oct. 15, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
