The crew’s launch came just weeks after the World Health Organization declared Kovid-19 an epidemic, making him the first crew to launch into space.
Cassidy, the current mission 63 mission commander, handed over the reins of the space station to newly arrived Russian cosmonaut Serge Ryazikov during a change of command ceremony on Tuesday.
After the crew lands, the helicopter will take them to a recovery staging site in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Cassidy will return to Houston aboard a NASA plane. Ivanishin and Wagner will depart for the Star City of Russia with a flight to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Cassidy, Ivanishin and Wagner spent 196 days in space during their stay at the station. During that time, they completed 3,136 orbits around the earth and traveled 83 million miles.
This was Cassidy’s third trip to the space station and he spent a total of 378 days in space. He sent them to the U.S. Ranks with the highest total of five among astronauts.
It was Wagner’s first spaceflight and the third for Evanishin, who spent a total of 476 days in space.
NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts worked on various science expeditions on the station during their time.
Cassidy participated in experiments that could benefit human health on Earth, researched the formation of water droplets and flow in space, and also worked with some free-flying robotic astronaut assistants. Cube-shaped astroby robots can be used to assist future astronauts in regular duties and tasks.
The commercial crew departs into space
During their stay on the space station, Cassidy, Wagner and Evansin welcomed NASA astronauts Robert Behenken and Douglas Hurley. Behankan and Hurley set sail for the station from the US on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission.
According to NASA, it was both the first crew spaceflight using a commercial spacecraft and the first crew to launch from the U.S. to the space station since the end of the shuttle program in 2011.
This brought a total of 10 spacewalks for both Behankan and Cassidy, which the Americans teamed up with NASA astronauts Michael Lopez-Allegria and Peggy Whitson for most of the spacewalks.
Preparing to launch in November, the crew will embark on the first long-term commercial crew mission to the station and return to Earth in the spring of 2021, according to NASA.
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