NASA Astronaut Returns To Earth After 78 Million Miles Journey In Space

NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson safely returned to Earth in Kazakhstan on Monday, September 23, after travelling 78 million miles in space aboard a Soyuz capsule. Alongside her were Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who also landed after spending 374 days on the International Space Station (ISS), marking the longest continuous stay at the station.

Dyson spent 184 days in space, completing 2,944 orbits around Earth. There are still eight astronauts aboard the ISS, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose return to Earth has been delayed.

After 184 days in space, 2,944 orbits of the Earth, 78 million miles traveled, and a safe landing, astronaut Tracy Dyson's mission concludes. pic.twitter.com/csgJcgSTSZ — NASA (@NASA) September 23, 2024

NASA reported that the trio departed the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft at 4:36 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 23, and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:59 a.m. (4:59 p.m. Kazakhstan time) southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

During her time aboard the ISS, Dyson participated in various scientific and technological activities. Notably, she operated a 3D bioprinter to print cardiac tissue samples, which could pave the way for advancements in creating replacement organs and tissues for transplants. She also worked on crystallizing model proteins to test hardware for potential pharmaceutical applications and oversaw a program where student-designed software controlled the station's free-flying robots, inspiring future innovators.

Dyson had launched on March 23 and arrived at the station two days later with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya stayed on the station for 12 days before returning to Earth on April 6 with NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara.

In total, Dyson's third spaceflight lasted 184 days, during which she orbited the Earth 2,944 times and travelled 78 million miles as part of the Expedition 70/71 mission. She also conducted one spacewalk, lasting 31 minutes, bringing her total spacewalk time to 23 hours and 20 minutes across four spacewalks.

Kononenko and Chub, who launched with O'Hara on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft last September, spent 374 days in space, travelling 158.6 million miles over 5,984 orbits. Kononenko, on his fifth spaceflight, has now spent a record 1,111 days in orbit, while Chub completed his first spaceflight.

After post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, before Dyson boards a NASA plane bound for the Johnson Space Center in Houston.