Private astronauts splash down after spectacular re-entry to close out commercial research mission
America’s most experienced space flier and her three private astronaut crewmates undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth late Tuesday, blazing through the night sky like a fiery shooting star before splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. With veteran commander Peggy Whitson and co-pilot John Shoffner monitoring the automated re-entry,…