NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Jonny Kim, Crewmates Return

Get ready to tune in folks, because NASA is gearing up to broadcast the return of astronaut Jonny Kim and his crewmates from the International Space Station (ISS). Kim, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, are wrapping up their mission and heading back to terra firma aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft.

NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Jonny Kim, Crewma...

The undocking is scheduled for 8:41 p.m. EST on Monday, December 8th. Then, after a journey through the inky blackness, the crew will make a parachute-assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe, southeast of Dzhezkazgan. Mark your calendars! Touchdown is expected at 12:04 a.m. EST on Tuesday, December 9th. (That’s 10:04 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan, for those keeping track at home).

If you want to follow along, NASA will be providing live coverage of the whole event. You can catch it on NASA+, Amazon Prime, or the agency’s YouTube channel. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for missing out. After all, they've really made it super accessible. Streaming is available across basically every platform these days.

Before they blast off, there's a change of command ceremony scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, December 7th. Ryzhikov will hand over the reins of the ISS to NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. That marks the start of Expedition 74, kicking off as soon as the Soyuz MS-27 undocks. It's always a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the station.

Kim and his colleagues are bringing to a close a 245-day mission. I can’t even imagine spending that long in space! They will have orbited our planet a staggering 3,920 times, racking up nearly 104 million miles. This was the first spaceflight for both Kim and Zubritsky, while Ryzhikov can add this to his already impressive log. He's a seasoned space traveler at this point.

Once they've landed, the crew will be whisked away by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. That's where the recovery teams are based. Kim will then board a NASA plane for his flight back to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will be heading back to their training base in Star City, Russia. It's quite the journey home after a long stint in space.

Here's a handy breakdown of the NASA coverage schedule (all times Eastern, and subject to change, because let's be real, things shift): * **Sunday, Dec. 7:** 10:30 a.m. – Expedition 73/74 change of command ceremony. * **Monday, Dec. 8:** 4:45 p.m. – Farewells and hatch closing coverage; 5:10 p.m. – Hatch closing; 8:15 p.m. – Undocking coverage; 8:41 p.m. – Undocking; 10:30 p.m. – Deorbit and landing coverage; 11:10 p.m. – Deorbit burn. * **Tuesday, Dec. 9:** 12:04 a.m. – Landing.

For over a quarter of a century, the ISS has been a continuous presence in space. It has enabled incredible scientific breakthroughs, including valuable insight into long-duration spaceflight and opening doors for commercial ventures in low Earth orbit. Now, with commercial companies stepping up, NASA is turning its focus to deep space missions, aiming for the Moon with the Artemis program and, eventually, Mars.

Want to dig deeper? You can find more information on International Space Station research and operations at [https://www.nasa.gov/station]. Happy viewing!