(AGENPARL) – mer 19 ottobre 2022 October 18, 2022
MEDIA ADVISORY M22-148
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 to Discuss Mission After Returning to Earth
[The SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts pose for a portrait in their pressure suits before boarding the Dragon Freedom crew ship, undocking from the International Space Station, and returning to Earth completing a 170-day space research mission.](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/crew_4_new.jpg)
crew_4_new.jpg
The SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts pose for a portrait in their pressure suits before boarding the Dragon Freedom crew ship, undocking from the International Space Station, and returning to Earth completing a 170-day space research mission. From left are Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, Pilot Bob Hines, Commander Kjell Lindgren (all three NASA astronauts), and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti from ESA (European Space Agency). Credits: NASA
Astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, consisting of crew members from the agency as well as ESA (European Space Agency), will answer questions about their recent mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 20.
The event will air live on NASA Television, the [NASA app](https://www.nasa.gov/connect/apps.html), and the agency’s website. Watch online at:
https://www.nasa.gov/live
Hines, Lindgren, Watkins, and Cristoforetti returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Freedom at 4:55 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, off the coast of Florida. After returning to shore, the astronauts flew back to Houston, where they were greeted by their families and colleagues.
Crew-4 astronauts traveled 72,168,935 miles during their 170 days aboard the [space station](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html). They completed 2,720 orbits around Earth.
During their science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-4 astronauts continued work on investigations documenting how [improvements to the space diet](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7870) affect immune function and the gut microbiome, determining the effect of [fuel temperature on the flammability](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8266) of a material, exploring possible [adverse effects on astronaut hearing](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7898) from equipment noise and microgravity, and studying whether additives [increase or decrease the stability of emulsions](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7963). The astronauts also investigated microgravity-induced [changes in the human immune system similar to aging](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8343), tested a novel [water-reclamation membrane](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8369), and [examined a concrete alternative](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8634) made with a material found in lunar and Martian dust.
The Crew-4 flight was part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and its return to Earth followed on the heels of the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission, which docked to the station Oct. 6 to begin another science expedition.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
[https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew](https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html)
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Press Contacts
Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
Dan Huot / Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111