What does the Earth look like from outer space? Four space tourists can tell you. They just made history as the first civilians to visit space. Now the four-person team is back on Earth. The space trip ended with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

The SpaceX capsule held the first group of people to circle the world without a professional astronaut. Billionaire Jared Isaacman paid for the flight. He wanted to show the world that ordinary people could achieve orbit by themselves.

“Your mission has shown the world that space is for all of us,” radioed SpaceX Mission Control. Read more about the mission and its crew here: Space Fans Get Seats. 

The four space tourists streaked through the atmosphere early Saturday evening. They splashed into the ocean. Within minutes, a pair of SpaceX boats pulled up next to the bobbing space capsule. Workers opened the capsule’s hatch. The first space tourist out was Hayley Arceneaux. She flashed a big smile and thumbs up.

“Best ride of my life!” tweeted Sian Proctor. She, Ms. Arceneaux, Jared Isaacman, and Chris Sembroski were strangers until March. That’s when they started training for the flight.

While in space, the crew did a variety of things. They chatted with St. Jude patients. They conducted medical tests on themselves. They rang the closing bell for the New York Stock Exchange. They also spent time drawing and playing ukulele. They munched on cold pizza and sandwiches, pasta Bolognese, and Mediterranean lamb.

SpaceX is gearing up for as many as six private flights per year. Four of those flights are already booked by paying customers. Three seats on the flight cost $55 million apiece!

To date, 591 people have reached space or its edges. That number is expected to skyrocket with space tourists.