After an unexpected nine-month stay in space, a pair of NASA astronauts finally returned to Earth on Tuesday.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship carrying Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — alongside fellow American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov — streaked through the atmosphere before deploying parachutes for a gentle splashdown off the Florida coast at 5:57pm.
Ground teams erupted in cheers as the gumdrop-shaped spacecraft, named Freedom, charred from withstanding scorching temperatures of 2,000°C during re-entry, bobbed steadily on the waves beneath a clear, sunny sky.
Photo: AFP / NASA / Keegan Barber
“What a ride — I see a capsule full of grins,” Hague said.
As fast boats raced to the capsule for initial safety checks — an unlikely escort arrived in the form of a playful pod of dolphins.
Soon after, a larger recovery vessel hoisted the Freedom aboard.
Photo: AFP / NASA / Keegan Barber
Teams opened the hatch and one by one the astronauts were helped out onto mobility aids, waving and flashing thumbs-up signs.
They were flown by helicopter to Houston, Texas, where they were to meet their families in another day or two, and begin a physical rehabilitation program.
“PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT,” the White House wrote on X.
Photo: EPA: EFE / NASA / Keegan Barber
Wilmore and Williams, both ex-navy pilots and veterans of two prior space missions, flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight.
However, propulsion issues rendered the spacecraft unfit for their return, forcing it to return empty.
They were subsequently reassigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which arrived at the ISS in September last year with a reduced crew of two — rather than the usual four — to accommodate the pair, who had become widely referred to as the “stranded” astronauts.
With Crew-10 docking on Sunday, Crew-9 was finally cleared to depart.
Wilmore and Williams’ 286-day stay exceeds the typical six-month ISS rotation, but ranks sixth among US records. Frank Rubio holds the longest single-mission US stay at 371 days, while Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov retains the world record at 437 days.
“If you found out you went to work today and were going to be stuck in your office for the next nine months, you might have a panic attack,” Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told reporters. “These individuals have shown unbelievable resilience.”
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