Space Watch

In photos: NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record-breaking spaceflight

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NASA astronaut Christina Koch wrapped up her first stay on the International Space Station Feb. 6, 2020, and it is one for the record books. Koch arrived in space in March 2019 and spent a total of 328 days living and working in the orbiting laboratory.

Koch's stay set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, breaking the record previously set by NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It was also the second-longest single spaceflight by a NASA astronaut, after Scott Kelly's yearlong mission in 2015.. During her time in space, Koch worked on a host of science experiments and performed spacewalks including the first ever performed by two women.

Also in the Soyuz capsule Koch rode home were Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano. Remaining in orbit are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka. A new trio of crewmembers is slated to launch in April to join them.




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