NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, participated in the first media event following their mission and splashdown, where they answered questions about their historic mission on the International Space Station and return to Earth.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, named Resilience, carrying Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi, splashed down at 2:56 a.m.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts answer questions about their historic mission on the International Space Station and their return to Earth.

The successful launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-1 in November 2020 was the first flight of a NASA-certified commercial human spacecraft system in history.

Crew-1 is the first of six crewed missions NASA and SpaceX will fly as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which worked with the U.S.

Crew-1 astronauts worked on a number of experiments as part of Expedition 64 and Expedition 65 to the International Space Station, including tissue chips that mimic the structure and function of human organs to understand the role of microgravity on human health and diseases, and translate those findings to improve human health on Earth.

Michael Hopkins was commander of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Crew-1 mission.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009, Hopkins now has spent a total of 335 days in space during two spaceflights.

Victor Glover was the pilot of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and second-in-command for the mission.

The California native holds a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University, a Master of Science degree in flight test engineering and a master’s degree in military operational art and science from Air University, as well as a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

As a mission specialist, she worked closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004, this was her second spaceflight, bringing her total time in space to 331 days.

Walker first launched to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft as the co-pilot, and spent 161 days aboard the orbiting laboratory.

A Houston native, Walker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Rice University, as well as a Master of Science degree and a doctorate in space physics, both from Rice University, in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

Soichi Noguchi also was a mission specialist for Crew-1, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight, and keeping watch on timelines, telemetry, and consumables.

The Crew Dragon is the third spacecraft Noguchi has flown to the orbiting laboratory