Nicole Mann, Petaluma native and history-making NASA astronaut, returns to Earth

Nicole Mann, a Petaluma native who in October became the first Native American woman to launch into space, returned to Earth on Saturday night in the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance.

““That was one heck of a ride, we are happy to be home,” Mann said at 6:03 p.m., seconds after the spacecraft, traveling at about 16 mph at the tail end of its 19-hour journey, splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa, Florida.

Mann, who commanded the spacecraft, and her crew of three astronauts, were returning from the International Space Station. She had spent 157 days on the space station, where she and other astronauts conducted hundreds of experiments while orbiting earth at 15,000 mph.

Mann, 45, is a fighter pilot and colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. She deployed twice aboard aircraft carriers in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A 1995 graduate of Rancho Cotate High School, she completed two spacewalks outside the space station, and last month hosted a Q&A with students at her alma mater. She is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California.

Staff Writer Jeremy Hay contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Austin Murphy at austin.murphy@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @ausmurph88.