NASA retiree turned private astronaut Peggy Whitson splashed down safely in the Pacific early on Tuesday after her fifth trip to the International Space Station, joined by crewmates from India, Poland and Hungary returning from their countries' first ISS mission.

In 1975, a meet-up between American and Soviet spacefarers in orbit showed that the superpowers could work together. Its positive effects eventually led to the International Space Station (ISS).