Crew-12 Splashes Down Off Los Angeles After 237 Days on the Space Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down at 8:34 a.m. PDT on Oct. 8 in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles, NASA said, ending a mission of more than seven months aboard the International Space Station.

What NASA says

NASA says the capsule returned four people: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Roscosmos is the Russian space agency. According to NASA, teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and crew shortly after splashdown.

The crew goes through standard medical checks first. Then they fly to shore and on to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA says.

The agency puts the time in orbit at 237 days, with more than 100 million miles traveled and more than 3,792 trips around Earth. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman credited "thousands across NASA, SpaceX, and our international partners" for the safe return. He added that building the ability to do this repeatedly "is exactly what will allow us to go farther."

Dana Weigel, manager of NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program at Johnson, said the agency is "thrilled to welcome Jessica, Jack, Sophie, and Andrey home."

The work they did

NASA lists several science threads. The crew tested stem cell production for cell-based therapies. They showed that IV fluid can be made on demand, which matters for future trips far from a hospital. They studied how the bacteria that cause pneumonia can lead to long-term heart damage. They also ran nutrition research and looked at how physical traits affect blood flow in spaceflight.

Then there were the spacewalks. NASA says Meir completed four, bringing her career total to seven. That puts her third all-time among women at NASA in total spacewalks, behind former astronauts Peggy Whitson and Suni Williams. Adenot completed three and became the first French woman to go outside the station, NASA says.

Coverage of the mission adds some detail on those outings. Reports say Adenot's first spacewalk was Aug. 18, with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, and that she and Meir later replaced a navigation reflector on the station's Harmony module. Reports also say Meir and a crewmate fixed a worn wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robot arm in June. Those details are not in NASA's release.

Context

This was the second spaceflight for Meir and Fedyaev and the first for Hathaway and Adenot, NASA says. Crew-12 lifted off at 5:15 a.m. EST on Feb. 13 and docked with the station a day later, according to the release.

Here is a detail that is easy to miss. The 237 days count the whole trip. Coverage of the post-splashdown briefing quoted NASA's Bill Spetch saying 235 of those days were spent on the station. The two days are launch to docking and undocking to splashdown. Coverage of the mission also reports that Freedom left the station at 8:05 a.m. EDT on Oct. 7, about 27 hours before splashdown. In Pacific time, the 8:34 a.m. splashdown is 11:34 a.m. EDT, which is the time many outlets used.

Reports also say the next crew, Crew-13, reached the station on Oct. 1, so the handover happened before Freedom left.

NASA describes the Low Earth Orbit Program as the group that gives the agency reliable access to space. It does this by working with private U.S. companies, including SpaceX, to fly astronauts to and from the station.

One more point of fairness on the record. NASA's release does not say how the crew felt coming out of the capsule. Coverage of the briefing quotes Spetch saying, "The crew is doing well." NASA's own release is silent on any medical findings beyond saying the standard screenings follow.

What is next

The crew will discuss the mission at a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA says. Meir, Hathaway and Fedyaev will take part. Adenot will return to Europe and will not be there, per the release.

Reporters who want to attend in person must contact the Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at jsc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. Phone access must be requested by 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 15. To ask a question by phone, reporters must join at least 15 minutes before the start, NASA says.

Separately, coverage of the post-splashdown briefing says a SpaceX cargo flight to the station, called CRS-35, is planned for Oct. 13. NASA's release does not mention it, so treat the date as planned and unconfirmed here.

Four people spent 237 days in orbit and came home safely. On Oct. 15 they get to tell it themselves.

Stay curious.

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