HOUSTON — Williamsburg astronaut Zena Cardman and the SpaceX Crew-11 returned safely to Earth on Jan. 15 after a stay at the International Space Station.
The crew splashed down at 3:41 A.M. on Thursday off the coast of San Diego after cutting its mission to the ISS short by a month due to a medical emergency with one of the astronauts. NASA did not name the astronaut in question but said they are in stable condition at this time.
While on board the ISS, the crew conducted scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, Cardman this was her first spaceflight. The Williamsburg native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the time of her selection, she had begun pursuing a doctorate in Geosciences. Cardman’s research in geobiology and geochemical cycling focused on subsurface environments, from caves to deep-sea sediments.
NASA said that the four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission have arrived at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will continue standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members completed a planned overnight stay at a local medical facility for additional evaluation and were released as expected.
In light of the mission being cut short, NASA said it is working with SpaceX and its international partners to review the options available to advance launch opportunities for the Crew-12 mission.