NASA’s Jonny Kim departs ISS for landing
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky undocked from the International Space Station aboard Soyuz MS‑27/73S at 8:41 p.m. EST Monday, heading for a parachute‑assisted landing on the Kazakh steppe targeted for 12:04 a.m. EST. The crew’s return caps an eight‑month mission spanning 3,920 orbits and 104 million miles; recovery teams are staged in frigid conditions to retrieve the trio, after which Kim will fly to Johnson Space Center and his crewmates to Star City for debriefs.
📌 Key Facts
- Undocking time: 8:41 p.m. EST; targeted landing: 12:04 a.m. EST near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan
- Deorbit burn planned for 11:09 p.m. EST with ~286 mph delta‑V from ~17,100 mph orbital speed
- Crew: Commander Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA’s Jonny Kim; mission length ~8 months (3,920 orbits, ~104 million miles)
📊 Relevant Data
Jonny Kim is the first Korean American astronaut to journey into space.
USD Alumnus Jonny Kim Becomes First Korean-American Astronaut to Journey into Space — University of San Diego
Approximately 60% of Asian Americans over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 38% of the entire U.S. population over 25; Asian Americans constitute about 7% of the U.S. population.
AAPI Students in Higher Education: Facts and Statistics | BestColleges — BestColleges
In California public schools, Asian American students have average math test scores 64 points higher than White students and English Language Arts scores 40 points higher, based on 2025 data.
Test Score Gaps and Time Use — Hoover Institution