Jessica Meir

LIVE: The members of Crew-12 are inside their spacecraft and ready to head back to Earth. Watch as they undock from the @Space_Station around 8:05am ET (1205 UTC) and begin their trip home. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

LIVE: After nearly eight months aboard the @Space_Station, it’s time for Crew-12 to come home. Tune in as the spacecraft hatch closes around 6:20am ET (1020 UTC). x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Departure moment - early morning prep for undocking. Hair braids.

Crew-12 is preparing for departure this morning with a 4 AM wake up time and a careful eye on the weather reports that will determine whether or not they can undock. Captain Jack Hathaway shares his morning prep.

Our microgravity indicator consists of four satellites orbiting a crocheted Earth, all hand-made elements by Jack’s daughter and my childhood best friend. Each crew member selected a personal symbol or “satellite.” A tether links each satellite to the Earth, representing our connection to our families, friends, and our one shared home. We’ll see this indicator drop as we re-enter Earth’s gravity tomorrow.
 
I chose a panda holding a mushroom, two adorable symbols of environmental importance and cultural fascination. Pandas are modern icons of species preservation and international diplomacy, and a pivotal character in my childhood. Mushrooms, or fungi, are the great decomposers, with all life on earth depending on them to keep our soils healthy and food webs functioning.
 
Jack chose a moon that his daughter hand-crocheted. Each color woven into the design represents a member of their family or a cherished shared activity. By bringing this piece with him, he keeps their bond close, allowing Jack to re-live happy memories while looking forward to the ones they’ll create when he returns.
 
Sophie chose a banana. Bananas are the world’s most common fruit, ordinary fruit shared by billions of people across every continent. Yet on orbit fresh fruit is rare. She wanted with us a playful reminder of kitchens and home—a familiar piece of Earth drifting weightless with us.
 
Andrey chose this thing, because it reminds me of an old space soviet movie. He would invite everyone to try to guess what this is.

And we present to you, Planet Gaia and her moons, floating here in Crew-12’s Dragon!

Four Expedition 75 crew members are in their final full day aboard the space station as they prepare to undock aboard a @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 8:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. More... go.nasa.gov/4i7j3GM

.@NASA will stream Wednesday's undocking and Thursday's return to Earth of four @SpaceX Crew-12 members. More... go.nasa.gov/4s8iyjv

• Undocking – 8:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7
• Splashdown – 11:34 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8

Human reflections in the cupola.

Expedition 75 vibes. It was an honor and privilege to serve as Commander of the @Space_Station! After welcoming Crew-13 this week to mark the second part of Expedition 75, today I handed over the key to the @Space_Station to my friend and colleague Pyotr Dubrov. This ship is in the best of hands!

LIVE: SpaceX Crew-12 members say their farewells aboard the @Space_Station and @Astro_Jessica hands over command of the orbiting laboratory to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

.@NASA and @SpaceX now target no earlier than 1:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 7, for Crew-12’s departure following a review of weather and splashdown conditions off the California coast. More... go.nasa.gov/46UMVQy

Room with a view. Check out my new digs as I camp out in Dragon until our departure. With Crew-13’s arrival we have a very full house on the @Space_Station. Luke is living in my previous crew quarters, and I’ve pitched a tent in Dragon.

The vibe. This shot (photo 1) perfectly captures Expedition 75. We’re all smiles thinking about our time together and the arrival of Crew-13 (they’re in the shot too, just behind us awaiting their hatch opening!). We took a moment to capture a few formations only possible in microgravity! Excited for Crew-13 to join in the fun.

Last week @Soph_astro, @astro_hathaway and I took turns imaging each other’s internal organs for the @CNES EchoFinder-2 experiment.  This experiment aims to use augmented reality and artificial intelligence to allow astronauts without medical or ultrasound expertise to perform scans without any support from Earth.  This type of technology could prove invaluable for remote medical monitoring scenarios both on Earth and for @NASAArtemis missions to the Moon and Mars.

Godspeed Crew-13!

Milky Way with a Moonlit Earth. Compare this to my previous Milky Way view and behold the power of our Moon! The Earth is so awash in Moonglow it looks like daytime, complete with blue oceans and continental outlines. The Moon just keeps on giving - even more motivation to return there with the @NASAArtemis program!

Hues of Africa. This week as I floated into the @Space_Station cupola and came upon this Northern Africa landscape, I reflected back on the first time I saw this scene from space. I was simply in awe of its colors, patterns and textures. Even on my 430th day in space nearing the end of this mission, this palette of Earth Art remains my most inspiring view.

Homeward bound. This week we donned our @SpaceX suits to ensure a good fit - it has been almost 8 months since we’ve worn them! We’ve had an amazing time on-board the @Space_Station, but after Crew-13 arrives, it will be time for us to depart. Stay tuned!

This week in the @Space_Station cupola, I was struck by the topography of the Northern Patagonia Icefields. There are so many incredible places to explore both on and off our home planet. Enjoy some Earth Art, happy Friday! Nikon Z9, 400mm lens.

Hurricane Polo is looking massive from the @Space_Station cupola (close-up of the eye in photo 2). Just happened upon this today so will have to plan for more photos on the next pass with an opportunity. Stay safe Mexico! Hoping the Pacific calms down a bit for our splashdown . . .