Record-Breaking US Astronaut and Crew Back on Earth

Members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew Peggy Annette Whitson of the U.S. (L), Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russia (C), and Jack Fischer of the U.S. rest shortly after the landing of the Soyuz MS-04 capsule in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan), Kazakhstan September 3, 2017. Reuters/Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla—NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and two crewmates made a parachute touchdown in Kazakhstan on Saturday, capping a career-total 665 days in orbit, a U.S. record.

Whitson, 57, ended an extended stay of more than nine months aboard the International Space Station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

“I feel great,” the biochemist said during an inflight interview on Monday. “I love working up here. It’s one of the most gratifying jobs I’ve ever had.”

Ground personnel carry member of the International Space Station (ISS) crew Peggy Annette Whitson of the U.S. after the landing of the Soyuz MS-04 capsule in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan), Kazakhstan September 3, 2017. Reuters/Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool