NASA’s 7 astronauts crew which is onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing to return to Earth, after a 6-month stay in the orbiting lab, the US space agency has said.
In an official statement, NASA further stated that the four crew members will return to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is expected to undock from the space station at 11.05 a.m. on March 11. On the basis of the weather conditions, the vehicle will splashdown off the Florida coast, as early as 5.35 a.m. on March 12.
The Crew 7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, launched to the ISS on August 26, last year.
With the recent arrival of four members of the Crew 8 mission, the ISS is currently housing 11 astronauts from the US, Europe, Russia and Japan.
The Crew 7 is “preparing to wrap up their nearly six-month science mission, and bring home time-sensitive research to Earth,” NASA said.
During their six months on the ISS, the Crew-7 conducted science experiments and technology demonstrations to benefit people on Earth and prepare humans for future space missions.
Their scientific milestones include a study on the impact of spaceflight on immune function; eliminating contaminants from wastewater; and growing food on the station.
Outside the station, the team deployed two CubeSats which are low-cost alternatives to traditional satellites
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Inputs from IANS
