• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / Iowa astronaut returning from first space mission

Iowa astronaut returning from first space mission

May 5, 2022 By Matt Kelley

After six months in orbit, Iowa astronaut Raja Chari is headed home.

Chari is commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission and he and three other astronauts left the International Space Station in a Dragon capsule called Endurance early today. The return flight should take about 24 hours and the capsule will splash down off the coast of Florida late tonight or early tomorrow.

Chari, a Cedar Falls native, headed up what’s called the XRoots experiment, which is one of the largest zero-gravity tests performed on the station. He’s been growing plants without soil, another step toward NASA sending astronauts to the Moon and Mars.

This is Chari’s first space mission, which lifted off in November. He’s only the 8th Iowan to reach orbit, the first to go aloft since Mount Ayr native Peggy Whiston’s last flight in 2017.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Human Interest, News

Featured Stories

All bodies of missing now recovered from rubble of collapsed Davenport building

Governor signs child care expansion into law

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

Smoke from distant fires creates colorful sunrise in Iowa

DOT’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division to merge into State Patrol

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

What may be rare Michael Jordan trading card found in unclaimed deposit box

Hawkeye women to play Virginia Tech

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/5/23

Iowa eliminated at NCAA regional

Iowa names Beth Goetz interim AD

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC