<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3o3es9_0wLudtiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3o3es9_0wLudtiG00" width="1320" height="743" >PENSACOLA, Fla. -- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission successfully splashed down off Pensacola early Friday morning.It happened at 2:29 a.m. CT.The splash down concluded a nearly eight-month science mission and the agency’s eighth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station.The crew launched on March 3 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The NASA astronauts -- Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin -- spent 232 days aboard the space station.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0tuEzJ_0wLudtiG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0tuEzJ_0wLudtiG00" width="648" height="365" >Recovery teams from NASA and SpaceX quickly secured the spacecraft and assisted the astronauts during exit.The astronauts were taken to a local medical facility for additional evaluation, according to NASA. The crew exited the Dragon spacecraft onto a recovery ship for standard post-flight medical evaluations. Out of an abundance of caution, all crew members were flown to the facility together. NASA will provide additional information as it becomes available.During their mission, crew members traveled nearly 100 million miles and completed 3,760 orbits around Earth. They conducted new scientific research to advance human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit human life on Earth. Research and technology demonstrations included conducting stem cell research to develop organoid models for studying degenerative diseases, exploring how fuel temperature affects material flammability, and studying how spaceflight affects immune function in astronauts. Their work aims to improve astronaut health during long-duration spaceflights, contributing to critical advancements in space medicine and benefitting humanity.Crew-8’s return follows the arrival of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 to the orbiting laboratory Sept. 29. These missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which provides reliable access to space, maximizing the use of the station for research and development and supporting future missions beyond low Earth orbit by partnering with private companies to transport astronauts to and from the space station.</div></body>

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NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission splashes down off Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission successfully splashed down off Pensacola early Friday morning. It happened at 2:29 a.m. CT. The splash down concluded a nearly eight-month science mission and the agency’s eighth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station. The crew launched on March...