NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson ends record-breaking space mission, makes smooth landing on Earth Saturday Sep 02,2017

Astronaut Peggy Whitson returns to Earth after 665 days in space

After clocking up a career-total of 665 days in orbit, record-setting astronaut Peggy Whitson made a successful, smooth landing in Kazakhstan amid huge applause, along with her two crewmates – Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin.

US space agency NASA aired the entire process, the crew members' last moments at the space station, the undocking of the Soyuz spacecraft and finally their landing. 

The crew's Russian Soyuz capsule touched down in Kazakhstan at 9:21 pm EDT Saturday (0121 GMT Sunday) Sep 02,2017

The 57-year-old astronaut – who is also called the 'American space ninja' by fellow astronauts – said she feels great after ending her extended 9-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

In April,Peggy  Whitson broke the 534-day US record for cumulative time in space.

Only seven Russian men have logged more time, including Gennady Padalka, the world record-holder with 878 days in orbit.

Peggy Whitson became an astronaut in 1996 and was the first woman to command the space station and also the first woman and first non-pilot to serve as chief of the NASA Astronaut Corps.

Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Peggy Whitson (left) and Jack Fischer (right) pose for a photo after landing in Kazakhstan