Splashdown! NASA's Crew-6 returns after 6 months at the International Space Station

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/04/ [login to see] /spacex-nasa-crew-6-iss-returns-earth-splashdown
Three astronauts and one cosmonaut have returned to earth, successfully completing a six-month stint in space.

NASA's Crew-6 mission began last March with a fiery nighttime launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It ended Monday, after nearly 3,000 orbits of the earth and 79 million miles traveled, just after midnight ET on Labor Day.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour pierced the atmosphere at 17,000 mph, its heat shield enduring temperatures hotter than 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the course of an hour, the capsule eventually slowed to a leisurely 15 mph under a canopy of parachutes with a gentle touchdown in the Atlantic Ocean off Jacksonville, Fla.