ISS Crew Lands Safely Back on Earth After 199 Days in Space

First Posted: Jun 12, 2015 08:00 AM EDT

Three crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) returned safely to Earth on Thursday after a mission lasting 199 days that included several spacewalks, technology demonstrations and hundreds of scientific experiments spanning multiple disciplines, including human and plant biology.

The astronauts in this case included Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA. All of them touched down at 9:44 a.m. EDT in Kazakhstan.

So what did they do during their time aboard the ISS? The crew members participated in a variety of research activities focusing on the effects of microgravity on cells, Earth observation, physical science and biological and molecular science. Their research included the start of a one-year study into human health management over long-duration space missions.

The crew also conducted a number of biological studies, including one investigation to better understand the risks of in-flight infections. More specifically, the Micro-5 study used a small roundworm and a microbe that causes food poisoning in humans to study the risk of infectious diseases in space, which is critical for ensuring crew health, safety and performance during long-duration missions.

Now, the ISS is hosting Expedition 44 with Roscosmos' Gennady Padalka in command. There are also Flight engineers Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscomos, who are continuing station research and operations until three new crew members arrive.

The three new crew members are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan in late July and join the others aboard the ISS.

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TagsISS, Astronaut, space, international space station