NASA astronaut, 2 cosmonauts return to Earth after eight-month stay

A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have returned to Earth after spending eight months aboard the International Space Station. The trio landed safely in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, concluding their 241-day mission. The crew members—NASA's Don Pettit and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner—departed the ISS in a Soyuz spacecraft before touching down on the steppe southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan. Their return marks the end of Expedition 74, a mission that began with their launch last September. The landing was confirmed by both NASA and Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, which noted that all post-flight procedures were proceeding normally. The crew's extended stay allowed for continued scientific research and maintenance of the orbital outpost, which has been continuously occupied for over two decades. With their safe return, the ISS now hosts a smaller crew as the next rotation of astronauts prepares for launch in the coming weeks.