NNA – A private flight carrying two Saudi astronauts and other passengers returned to Earth late Tuesday night after a nine-day trip to thenbsp;International Space Station.
Thenbsp;SpaceX capsulenbsp;carrying the four parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Florida panhandle, 12 hours after undocking from the orbiting lab.
The Saudi government picked up the multimillion-dollar tab for its two astronauts: Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher who became the first Saudi woman in space; and fighter pilot Ali al-Qarni.
Barnawi wiped away tears as she wrapped up her experiments and prepared to leave the space station.
ldquo;Every story comes to an end and this is only the beginning of a new era for our country and our region,rdquo; she said Monday.
A Knoxville, Tennessee, businessman who started a race car team, John Shoffner, paid his own way to the space station.
The ticket-holders were accompanied by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now works for the Houston company that chartered the flight, Axiom Space.
They rocketed into orbit last week on Axiom#39;s second chartered flight to the space station. The company plans to send up more clients by year#39;s end.–AP
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