Four astronauts returned to Earth on Thursday after spending eight months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where they had arrived earlier than planned to replace a colleague who fell ill and his crewmates.
SpaceX brought the US, French and Russian astronauts home with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France's Sophie Adenot and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev left the orbiting laboratory on Wednesday, looking forward to reuniting with their families after months apart. However, their return was delayed because their replacements arrived three weeks behind schedule due to capsule repairs.
The astronauts were eager to feel fresh air, take showers and return to their favourite activities. Adenot, in particular, was looking forward to water sports after spending 237 days in orbit, setting an endurance record for the European Space Agency.
“We are so excited to be back on Planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station,” Meir said in a radio message shortly after landing.
While still in space, she had described the crew's feelings as a mixture of emotions, saying they would miss the “extraordinary views of our home planet.”
All four astronauts emerged from their capsule within an hour of landing, waving and raising their fists in celebration aboard SpaceX's recovery ship. They were scheduled to travel by helicopter to shore before heading to Houston.
Meir and her crewmates launched into space in February to replace four astronauts who returned home early after one of them, retired NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, became ill. It was NASA's first medical evacuation during 65 years of human spaceflight.
Two months later, the crew watched proudly as the Artemis II astronauts travelled around the Moon. They also celebrated the United States' 250th anniversary in space, with Meir playing the piccolo alongside the Boston Pops for a Fourth of July concert.
During the mission, Meir completed four spacewalks, while Adenot ventured outside the station three times to carry out maintenance and upgrade work on the 28-year-old facility.
Despite their demanding schedules, the astronauts also made time for recreation. They held a dance party last month and regularly demonstrated cooking techniques while wearing aprons and chefs' hats.
Meir shared a video tutorial for women with curly hair in space, drawing on her own experience. Hathaway, meanwhile, carefully maintained his thick moustache, an unusual sight among astronauts.
The naval aviator-style moustache was grown before his launch to reflect his connection to the US Navy. He said maintaining it in weightlessness was no more difficult than doing so on Earth. Some ground controllers also grew moustaches in support.
Asked in August whether he would shave it after returning home, Hathaway said the moustache had become part of his identity in space and he might keep it for a while.
Seven astronauts remain aboard the ISS, representing the United States, Russia and Canada. According to NASA, the station has hosted 298 visitors from 26 countries since it first opened to crews in 2000.
SpaceX is preparing for another supply mission to the station next week. The company, founded by Elon Musk, plans to deliver more than 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilogrammes) of cargo, including the final set of a series of solar panel additions, a toilet pump, a spacesuit for spacewalks, fresh fruit and other supplies.