NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth early Tuesday, landing on the frozen steppe of Kazakhstan after an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their Soyuz MS-27/73S spacecraft touched down at 12:03 a.m. EST (0503 UTC; 10:03 a.m. local time), ending a mission that spanned nearly 4,000 orbits and more than 104 million miles traveled.
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim shows off a nested matryoshka doll presented to him by Russian recovery crews shortly after he was extracted from the Soyuz descent module. Image: NASA
The journey home began Monday evening when Soyuz commander Sergey Ryzhikov, joined by flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, strapped into their spacecraft and undocked from the ISS at 8:41 p.m. EST. After backing away to a safe distance, the capsule fired its braking thrusters for four minutes and 42 seconds at 11:09 p.m., reducing its 17,100-mph orbital velocity enough to drop into Earth’s atmosphere.
During the fiery plunge through re-entry temperatures approaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, the Soyuz descent module slowed dramatically before deploying its trademark orange-and-white parachute. The capsule touched down gently before tipping onto its side on the snow-covered Kazakh plains. Russian search teams and NASA personnel worked quickly in sub-freezing temperatures to open the hatch, extract the crew and conduct initial health checks. Kim, smiling and alert, received a traditional matryoshka doll painted with his likeness from recovery crews.
After onsite assessments, the crew was scheduled to fly by helicopter to Dzhezkazgan. From there, Kim will board a NASA aircraft for his return to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky head to Star City near Moscow for debriefings and reunions.
Their departure leaves seven crew members aboard the ISS, including NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Christopher Williams, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Platonov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev. Kud-Sverchkov, Mikaev, and Williams arrived on Nov. 27 aboard Soyuz MS-28/74S to replace the outgoing trio.
In a heartfelt change-of-command ceremony the day before landing, Kim reflected on his time in orbit. What he would remember most, he said, was the camaraderie. “I firmly believe that the greatest quality of an astronaut, and a human, is love,” Kim remarked. “We always gave each other grace and had so much love for each other and everyone who supports us. I think that is what makes space exploration possible.”
Kim’s path to space has been extraordinary. The son of South Korean immigrants, he is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, a combat veteran, and a Harvard-trained physician. In an earlier interview, he spoke candidly about the toll of war and his transition from military service to medicine and, ultimately, NASA. Burned out after difficult combat experiences, Kim sought a new way to serve. “Medicine seemed logical,” he said. Already trained as a SEAL medic, he earned acceptance to Harvard Medical School and committed himself to proving his worth not through past accolades but through competence and dedication as a physician.
During his eight months aboard the ISS, Kim focused on scientific research and maintenance in the station’s U.S. segment, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky completed two spacewalks. With their safe return to Earth, the trio now begins the process of readjusting to gravity — the final step in a mission defined by discipline, discovery, and deep bonds formed in orbit.
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