Space station crew returns to Earth with perfect splashdown

What happened: Crew 12 returned to Earth on Thursday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles after a 237-day mission aboard the International Space Station. Key numbers: 237-day mission; nine-minute thruster firing at 10:46 a.m. ET; splashdown at 11:34 a.m. ET about 50 miles west of Los Angeles; 3,792 orbits spanning nearly 101 million miles; four spacewalks; launched Feb. 13. Why it matters: The splashdown closed out the crew's station maintenance and research work for NASA, and Crew 13 remains aboard the station for a planned six-month stay.

Crew 12 returned to Earth on Thursday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles after a 237-day mission aboard the International Space Station.

The splashdown closed out the crew's station maintenance and research work for NASA, and Crew 13 remains aboard the station for a planned six-month stay.