Other countries, like the U.K, the United States and the European Union have all dedicated funding and detailed roadmaps to replace animal testing in research settings. And while Canada has a strategy to replace animals used in chemical and toxicity testing, there is still no plan for those used in biomedical testing.

A global assessment on migratory freshwater fish species, published in March, found that there are 325 species of migratory fish crossing international borders that need deliberate action in order to survive.

While their trip looked like fun during the numerous news conferences and videos we saw, the four astronauts were hard at work with scientific observations, medical experiments and exercise. And they also had to deal with unexpected issues.