NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka have had much better than a bird’s-eye view of Earth during a momentous period in the planet’s history, soaring 400 km above aboard the ISS while the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe below.
Now, after more than 200 days in orbit, the trio are back on Earth, having touched down in Kazakhstan, NASA reported, and they’ve returned to a remarkably changed planet.
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The Soyuz capsule’s touchdown successfully completed the first mission to space for both Morgan and Meir.
Morgan’s mission began in July 2019 and lasted 272 days, during which time he orbited Earth 4,352 times and traveled more than 115 million miles.
Meir spent 205 days aboard the ISS, completing 3,280 orbits and traveling more than 85 million miles. Along with crewmate Christina Koch, Meir also completed the first three all-female spacewalks .
For Skripochka, the latest mission was his third to space; he has spent a total of 536 days in orbit.
However, the hardest leg of the long journey may still be ahead for them.
There’s no chance that any of them has the coronavirus – yet.
All three arrived aboard the ISS long before the outbreak occurred on Earth, and there’s no more sure place to self-isolate than literally not being on the planet.
The Russian officials who met the trio on the ground all took coronavirus tests before rushing out to the touchdown site and had been under medical observation for a month leading up to the landing.
The trick for the trio now will be to continue to avoid contracting the disease, which means a further period of isolation from their families even though they’re back on solid ground.
Standard operating procedures for long space flights requires them to spend the next several weeks in rehab therapy.
But of course, all they will want to do is to see their loved ones again. On a video call before leaving the ISS, Meir said that “It will be difficult to not give hugs to family and friends after being up here for seven months.
“I think I will feel more isolated on Earth than here. We’re busy with amazing pursuits and tasks and don’t feel the isolation.”
Meir added that they were well aware of what had been taking place on the planet below them.
“It’s quite surreal to see it unfolding on Earth below,” she said.
“We can tell you that the Earth still looks just as stunning as always from up here, so it’s difficult to believe all the changes that have taken place since both of us have been up here.”
The crew replacing the trio on the ISS spent six weeks in quarantine ahead of the mission to ensure they weren’t sick.
h/t: NASA
