Politics & Government

Astronaut With MoCo Roots Returns To Earth After 8-Month ISS Stay

NASA astronaut Chris Williams spent a total of 241 days on the International Space Station, orbiting Earth 3,856 times.

Gaby Arancibia's profile picture
Gaby Arancibia, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev aboard, Sunday, July 26, 2026.
The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev aboard, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A NASA astronaut who calls Potomac his hometown safely landed back on Earth over the weekend after spending 241 days on the International Space Station.

Although Williams was born in New York City, he grew up in the Montgomery County area.

He graduated back in 2001 from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, later getting his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and doctorates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Find out what's happening in Rockvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

See video of the touchdown below:

The weekend landing took place Sunday on the steppe of Kazakhstan, shortly before 6:30 a.m. ET.

Find out what's happening in Rockvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams was joined in the touchdown by Roscosmos crewmates Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev.

ss074e0149044 (Jan. 19, 2026) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 Flight Engineer Chris Williams safely processes samples of a bacterial pathogen inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Williams was exploring a way to prevent the formation of biofilms, or a layer of microorganisms, anywhere water is found on a spacecraft where they pose human health risks and can damage equipment. The microbe samples are housed inside a specialized cell culture chamber, called a BioCell, and exposed to different levels of ultraviolet light to learn how to inhibit microbial growth and reduce reliance on chemical disinfectants. (Courtesy NASA)

Throughout their mission, the trio orbited Earth 3,856 times and traveled over 102 million miles, according to the U.S. space agency.

Williams' work at the ISS included two spacewalks and continued research for new cancer treatments.

The mission marked a first ISS trip for both Williams and Mikaev, and a second visit by Kud-Sverchov, NASA said.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Rockville