NASA Astronaut Tracy Dyson and Crewmates Return After Historic Space Station Mission

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson returned to Earth after a six-month mission aboard the ISS, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.

Dyson participated in cutting-edge scientific research, including 3D bioprinting of cardiac tissue and crystallizing model proteins for pharmaceutical production. She spent 184 days in space, completing 2,944 Earth orbits and one spacewalk. The cosmonauts set records of their own, with Kononenko accruing over 1,100 days in space across his career. After a safe landing, Dyson will head back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson Returns to Earth

NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson completed a six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station on Monday, returning to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.

The trio departed the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft at 4:36 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 23, making a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:59 a.m. (4:59 p.m. Kazakhstan time), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

Advancing Scientific Research in Space

While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Dyson conducted multiple scientific and technology activities including the operation of a 3D bioprinter to print cardiac tissue samples, which could advance technology for creating replacement organs and tissues for transplants on Earth. Dyson also participated in the crystallization of model proteins to evaluate the performance of hardware that could be used for pharmaceutical production and ran a program that used student-designed software to control the station’s free-flying robots, inspiring the next generation of innovators.

Dyson’s Third Spaceflight and Spacewalk Achievements

Dyson launched on March 23 and arrived at the station on March 25 alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya were aboard the station for 12 days before returning home with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara on April 6.

184 Days in Space, 78 Million Miles Traveled

Spanning 184 days in space, Dyson’s third spaceflight covered 2,944 orbits of the Earth and a journey of 78 million miles as an Expedition 70/71 flight engineer. Dyson also conducted one spacewalk of 31 minutes, bringing her career total to 23 hours, 20 minutes on four spacewalks.

Roscosmos Cosmonauts’ Record-Breaking Journey

Kononenko and Chub, who launched with O’Hara to the station on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft last September, spent 374 days in space on a trip of 158.6 million miles, spanning 5,984 orbits. Kononenko completed his fifth flight into space, accruing a record of 1,111 days in orbit, and Chub completed his first spaceflight.

Crew’s Return and Medical Checks

Following post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Dyson will then board a NASA plane bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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