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Four astronauts returned to Earth Saturday night following a five-month stay at the International Space Station. The U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew's capsule splashed down in the Gulf of
Mexico after they checked out of the station early Saturday morning. Their SpaceX flight home took less than 19 hours. After the Dragon capsule landed just off the Florida coast near Tampa,
NASA's Nicole Mann — the first Native American woman to fly in space — called the return "one heck of a ride," per the Associated Press. "We're happy to be
home," Mann said. While their replacements arrived more than a week ago, the astronauts were kept at the space station for a few extra days since splashdown zones were experiencing high
wind and waves, per the Associated Press. The trip home also included Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, and NASA's Josh Cassada. Mann, who is a member of
Northern California's Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, said she was looking forward to feeling of wind and the smell of grass; while Wakata was looking forward to sushi,
Kikina was anticipating hot tea "from [a] real cup" and Cassada was looking forward to getting his family a rescue dog. Three Americans, three Russians and one astronaut from the
United Arab Emirates remained at the space station. As the AP reports, the astronauts dealt with leaking Russian capsules and delivering a replacement craft for other crew members during
their time in space. _NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR __PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER__ TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER, FROM JUICY CELEBRITY NEWS TO
COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES._ In other recent space news, *NSYNC alum Lance Bass — a certified cosmonaut himself — is serving as the narrator of the new iHeart podcast, _The Last
Soviet_. The eight-part series — a production from iHeartPodcasts with Kaleidoscope and Samizdat Audio — tells the story of Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and his 313 days in space amid
the collapse of the USSR. At the time, "hell was Breaking loose in Russia," Bass told PEOPLE, but the astronaut was committed to his work and just as committed to his country.
"Just to be stuck in space, it's a scary thing," Bass told PEOPLE last month. "You tell someone, 'This guy got stuck in space for 313 days.' How can anyone
survive in space — and that's not even the [International Space Station]. We're talking about a smaller station where space madness really hits you. The fact that he survived that
and still works in the space program today... He was a hero." The "Bye Bye Bye" singer was previously certified by both the Russian Space Program and by NASA for the Soyuz
TMA-1 spacecraft mission back in 2002. While his financial backing fell through before the 2002 mission, Bass said he and Krikalev still have something in common. "Hearing the things
when he just got into the program at a young age — all the things he needed and had to go through in Star City, we went through the exact same training," Bass said. "It's just
fascinating to hear your life go through this amazing hero of a cosmonaut."