After completing a 197-day mission in space, orbiting the Earth 3,152 times, the 56th Expedition aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to return home today, Thursday, October 4, 2018.

The international crew, consisting of two NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut, will land on the steppe of Kazakhstan using assisted-landing-parachutes three hours after undocking from the ISS and boarding the Soyuz spacecraft.

Expedition 57 will officially begin the moment of the spacecraft’s undocking from the ISS.

After landing in Kazakhstan and taking a helicopter to the city of Karaganda, the American astronauts Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold of NASA will fly to Houston, while the Russian cosmonaut Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will be returning to Star City, Russia.

During their stay onboard the ISS, the crew carried out experiments in physics and biological studies as well as expanded the navigation capabilities for future travels.

The crew also participated in NASA’s Year of Education on Station with students down on Earth in an interactive educational experience.

Expedition 56: Commander Drew Feustel (right) and Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold (left) of NASA, along with Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos (center). (NASA)