Maine’s Jessica Meir, 3 other astronauts return to Earth
Maine Astronaut Jessica Meir and International Crew Return to Earth After 8‑Month ISS Mission
Caribou, Maine – On Thursday, a SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, bringing home four astronauts who had spent nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The returning crew included Maine’s own Jessica Meir, NASA pilot Jack Hathaway, French mission specialist Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The four astronauts had launched from Cape Canaveral in February after a U.S. crew had to leave the ISS early when fellow astronaut Mike Fincke fell ill. Fincke’s medical evacuation marked the first in‑flight medical rescue in 65 years of human spaceflight. Because the replacement crew’s capsule required repairs, their arrival was delayed by three weeks, extending the homecoming for the original team.
“We are so excited to be back on planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station,” Meir transmitted to ground control as the capsule’s heat shield broke up and the ship entered the ocean.
Meir, who grew up in Caribou, had already made her mark in 2019 on a 205‑day ISS stay that included the first all‑female spacewalk. This second mission saw her perform four extravehicular activities (EVAs), bringing her career total of spacewalk hours to more than 49 and moving her into third place for total time spent outside the station among NASA women.
French astronaut Adenot conducted three EVAs to upgrade and maintain the aging outpost, while Russian cosmonaut Fedyaev helped with a variety of station operations. The U.S. pilot, Hathaway, noted in an August interview that his “navy‑aviator‑style mustache” had become part of his identity in orbit: “It’s kind of become a little bit of my brand up here,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll go away right away or I’ll end up keeping it for a while.”
During their stay, the crew balanced hard work with lighthearted moments. They hosted a dance party in the cramped station and staged cooking demonstrations, complete with aprons and chef’s toques, to entertain both crew and viewers on Earth. Meir produced a “how‑to” video for spacewomen with curly hair, and Hathaway kept his mustache meticulously groomed in zero‑gravity.
The astronauts also watched the Artemis II mission—NASA’s second crewed flight around the Moon—through the station’s windows two months into their stay. They celebrated the United States’ 250th anniversary from orbit, with Meir playing piccolo in a Boston Pops concert broadcast from space.
The ISS now hosts seven crew members from the United States, Russia and Canada. The station has welcomed 298 visitors from 26 countries since its first launch in 2000, according to NASA.
Meir, who earned a biology degree from Brown University, an MFA from the International Space University in France, and a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has been an astronaut since 2013 and was the first woman from Maine to travel to space.
The Crew 12 capsule was recovered by a recovery vessel and a team of specialists in the Pacific. The astronauts will be transported to a medical facility in Houston for evaluation before rejoining their families at the Johnson Space Center. Their return marks the end of a mission that tested human resilience, international collaboration and the ability to perform critical maintenance on a space station that has been a laboratory and a symbol of global cooperation for more than two decades.
