CBS News
Private-sector astronauts return to Earth after extended space station visit
A commercially chartered Crew Dragon spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere and splashed down off the east coast of Florida Friday, bringing four private astronauts back to Earth after an extended stay aboard the International Space Station.
With commander Michael López-Alegría and Italian co-pilot Walter Villadei monitoring cockpit displays, flanked by Swedish flier Marcus Wandt and Turkey’s Alper Gezeravci, the Crew Dragon’s braking rockets fired at 7:42 a.m. EST, slowing the ship just enough to drop the far side of its orbit deep into the atmosphere.
SpaceX web stream
Descending along a southwest-to-northeast trajectory across Central America and the Florida peninsula, the Crew Dragon’s heat shield protected the craft from temperatures higher than 3,000 degrees as the capsule rapidly decelerated in a blaze of atmospheric friction.
Approaching the landing zone east of Daytona Beach, two small drogue chutes deployed to stabilize the spacecraft, followed by the ship’s four main parachutes, which lowered the Crew Dragon to a gentle splashdown at 8:30 a.m. Mission duration was 21 days and 15 hours.
“Welcome home,” a flight controller radioed. “Thanks for flying SpaceX.”
“It was our pleasure,” López-Alegría replied. Despite the capsule’s motion on a gently rolling sea, he reported all four crew members were feeling good as they began their readjustment to gravity after three weeks off planet.
A SpaceX recovery ship was standing by and within about a half hour, the capsule was hauled aboard so technicians could open its side hatch and help the returning space fliers get out, one at a time, for initial medical checks.
SpaceX web stream
All four were in good spirits, able to stand upright with the assistance of recovery personnel as they began getting used to the unfamiliar tug of gravity.
It was the third — and longest — “private astronaut mission” chartered by Houston-based Axiom Space in a program sanctioned by NASA to encourage private-sector use of the International Space Station.
Axiom is using the Crew Dragon flights to ISS to develop procedures and experience needed to operate a commercial space station the company plans to start building over the next few years.
Launched Jan. 18 from the Kennedy Space Center, López-Alegría, a retired NASA astronaut, Villadei, Wandt and Gezeravci originally planned to spend just two weeks aboard the station, returning to Earth on Feb. 3.
But high winds in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean splashdown zones forced the crew to remain in orbit an additional six days when all was said and done, undocking Wednesday and then flying on their own for nearly two days to reach the proper trajectory for Friday’s re-entry.
SpaceX web stream
The descent to splashdown appeared to go off without a hitch, clearing the way for NASA and SpaceX to press ahead with two major missions amid a steady string of Starlink launches.
On Feb. 14, SpaceX plans to launch a robotic moon lander built by Intuitive Machines of Houston in a project funded by NASA to collect data on conditions near the lunar south pole as the agency ramps up toward astronaut landings in the next few years.
Once that mission is is off the ground, SpaceX will shift gears and ready another Falcon 9 for launch at the end of the month from the same Kennedy Space Center pad to carry four long-duration crew members to the International Space Station.
Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will join Crew 7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov aboard the ISS, along with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and NASA’s Loral O’Hara.
Crew 7 was launched last August follow by Kononenko, Chub and O’Hara last September.
Moghbeli and her crewmates plan to undock and head home in early March. The ISS crew then will await the late March arrival of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying veteran cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, Belarus guest flier Marina Vasilevskaya and NASA veteran Tracy Dyson.
Novitskiy, Vasilevskaya and O’Hara will return to Earth on April 2, leaving Dyson behind on the ISS with Kononenko and Chub, who are both spending a full year in space. Dyson will join them for return to Earth in September.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Monkeys have been spotting roaming in unusual places in central Florida recently — and the police are warning residents to stay away.
The Orange City Police Department said on social media that it had received “multiple reports of monkey sightings” in the town, which is in Volusia County. People who see monkeys should not feed or approach them, the department said, but should contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A viral video from a river near Orange City, taken by a river tour operator, shows a monkey hanging out on a wooded bank.
“I looked up into a tree and kind of went, ‘What’s that!?'” Colin Innes of St. John’s River Eco Tours, told CBS affiliate WKMG. “I got a little bit closer and realized that I had a monkey probably about 30 feet from me. And trust me, that’s not something you see out here on a regular basis whatsoever, so I was shocked.”
Meanwhile, a Volusia County elementary school principal had to warn parents about a monkey after seeing one run through the school’s drop-off area on Wednesday, according to WKMG.
An area woman told WKMG that she saw a monkey climbing on her fence. First, she thought the animal was a cat, but then she realized how large it was.
“I have three cats and so I looked at his body and was like, ‘Wow that’s really big,'” said Evelyn Coira Arquette. “I mean, we’re talking about four feet probably long.”
Officials have not commented on what species of monkey is being spotted. WKMG said officials have not confirmed if residents are spotting multiple monkeys or if they’re seeing the same primate in multiple locations.
Police have told residents not to feed the monkeys, which is prohibited by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rule passed in 2017. Monkeys are more likely to return to an area and may become aggressive if they are fed by people, WKMG reported.
Residents should also take care to dispose of uneaten food and garbage in closed trash containers, so monkeys can’t access them. Any sightings should be reported, and if a monkey is seen in the area, children should be kept close and pets should be leashed. If bitten or scratched by a wild monkey, seek medical attention immediately.
Last month, 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina, prompting warnings for nearby residents to secure their doors and windows. Four of the monkeys are reportedly still on the loose.
Getty Images
In the third quarter of 2023, U.S. mortgage holders collectively held $17.2 trillion in home equity, according to the November 2024 ICE Mortgage Monitor report. This includes $11.2 million in “tappable” equity, or equity homeowners can borrow against without dropping below an 80% loan-to-value ratio.
For homeowners, this translates to an average of $319,000 in total equity and $207,000 in tappable equity. Rising home prices provided this big pot of accessible cash and, for some, using it to upgrade their space could increase home values further — especially now that home equity loan and home equity line of credit (HELOC) rates have dropped steadily since their post-pandemic peak and are expected to fall further in the coming months.
Taking out a home equity loan or a HELOC to fund improvements allows you to borrow at an affordable rate, and both HELOC interest and home equity loan interest may be tax-deductible if funds are used to improve a qualifying primary or second home. If you’re thinking about using some of your equity to improve your living quarters, though, there are some home improvement projects in particular that experts say could boost your home’s value.
Compare today’s top home equity borrowing options online now.
3 strategic home projects that can boost your home’s value in 2025
The following home projects could pay off by boosting the value of your home in the new year:
1. Build an accessory dwelling unit
If you’re hoping your home could bring in some extra cash, or if you want to make room for extended family and household help, adding an accessory dwelling unit could be the ideal upgrade for you.
Andrea Saturno-Sanajna, a broker with Coldwell Banker Warburg, says that many localities are enacting legislation or creating programs to encourage the building of ADUs to create more affordable housing. In some cases, these programs even come with government funding to help cover the costs. However, even without this bonus, Saturno-Sanajna believes this is a project worth thinking about if it’s allowed in your area.
“The ADU could be rented out for additional income or used for aging parents or college students to be near family while maintaining some autonomy, for au pairs, exchange students or carers, or even for income-generating, short-term holiday accommodation where permitted,” Saturno-Sanajna says.
MyHome by Freddie Mac reports that ADUs increase your home’s value by as much as 35%, but they must fulfill certain requirements including having a kitchen, bathroom, and separate entrance. If you have the space and the equity available to create this type of dwelling, the payoff could be substantial.
Learn what your best home equity borrowing rates could be today.
2. Increase your energy efficiency
With the growing threat of climate change and the rising cost of electricity, projects that improve your home’s energy efficiency should be top on your list in 2025, says Michael C. Weiner, an agent at Coldwell Banker Warburg.
“Infrastructure changes that improve energy efficiency aren’t just helpful in boosting value but also can start paying for themselves from day one,” Weiner says.
His suggestions included upgrading your windows, adding insulation or installing a smart thermostat.
Weiner also recommends switching out older appliances with newer, more energy-efficient ones that can both give your home an updated look and reduce your utility bills for a double payoff. With the Department of Energy reporting that a new Energy-Star-certified fridge could save you more than $220 during its 12-year lifetime, this upgrade alone could be worth making.
3. Invest in wellness
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a renewed focus on maintaining good health, so incorporating wellness features in your home could be an upgrade worth considering in 2025.
Broker Sean Adu-Gymafi of Coldwell Banker Warburg advises installing upgrades like whole-house water filtration systems and air purification systems throughout the home.
“Water filtration systems will provide better water quality and are better for the environment as they can reduce the amount of bottled water used,” Adu-Gymafi says. “Similarly, installing air purification systems throughout the home can also add value. As more people prioritize health and their well-being, these features are becoming very desirable.”
The bottom line
These upgrades could help you to improve your financial situation immediately as you bring in rental income, improve your health and lower your monthly bills. They may also make your property more desirable to future buyers. Tapping into equity to complete them could be a smart financial choice in the new year, especially if you shop around for loans at competitive rates and take advantage of new, more affordable borrowing opportunities.