What's Happening?
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, are set to depart the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. The crew will
close the hatch between the spacecraft and the ISS at 5:10 p.m. EST, with undocking scheduled for approximately 8:41 p.m. The spacecraft is expected to land in Kazakhstan at 12:04 a.m. on December 9, local time. This mission marks the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov concludes his third mission, bringing his total time in space to 603 days, ranking him 13th all-time. The crew's mission lasted 245 days, during which they orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles.
Why It's Important?
The return of the Soyuz MS-27 crew signifies the completion of another successful mission aboard the ISS, highlighting international collaboration in space exploration. The mission's conclusion adds to the cumulative experience and data gathered from long-duration spaceflights, which are crucial for future missions, including potential manned missions to Mars. The participation of astronauts from different countries underscores the importance of international partnerships in advancing space science and technology. The mission also contributes to the understanding of human endurance in space, which is vital for planning extended missions beyond Earth's orbit.
What's Next?
Following the crew's return, NASA and Roscosmos will likely conduct debriefings and analyses of the mission's data to enhance future space missions. The insights gained from this mission will inform the planning and execution of upcoming expeditions to the ISS and beyond. Additionally, the successful completion of this mission may influence future collaborations and agreements between international space agencies, potentially expanding the scope and scale of joint space exploration efforts.
