Four astronauts from four countries return to Earth after six months in orbit

Four Expedition 70 crew mates posing in the pressure suits they wore when they returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon ‘Endurance’ spacecraft (Nasa/AP)

Four astronauts from four countries caught a lift back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to end a half-year mission at the International Space Station.

Their capsule streaked across the US in the predawn darkness and splashed into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle.