After nine months being ‘stuck’ on the International Space Station, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally back on Earth. Following a 17-hour journey back from space, the pair of astronauts made a splashdown near Tallahassee, Florida.
Although March 12 rescue mission was called off at the last minute, Williams and Wilmore were finally boarded onto their Dragon spacecraft and disembarked with Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
NASA gave people around the globe a chance to watch this historic moment live, with thousands tuning in to watch the craft make it out of orbit.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally back on Earth (NASA)
All four safely returned to Earth on March 18, with the long-awaited return of Williams and Wilmore being all anyone could talk about.
Landing right on time at 5:57 pm Eastern Time, Dragon successfully reentered the atmosphere and deployed its parachutes.
It was then over to the recovery vessels to climb aboard the capsule and check that everything is okay with everyone inside.
The main vessel (Megan) is on the way to Dragon, although it takes around 25 minutes to get there.
In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore are left bobbing in the ocean, although we’re told there’s air conditioning to keep things cool inside. We imagine it can get a little stuffy while inside their suits.
At least they’ve back on Earth, and while it’s not quite dry land just yet, we’re sure they’ve glad to be back from their extended stay in the cosmos.
Featured Image Credit: NASA
Exact time ‘stuck’ NASA astronauts will touch down on Earth after 9 months in space
The astronauts are finally on their way back after being ‘stranded’ on the ISS
After successfully undocking from the International Space Station this morning, we finally have an exact time that ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will land back on Earth after their nine month mission.
Technical delays left Williams and Wilmore ‘stuck’ on board the International Space Station (ISS) for 285 days in what was only supposed to be an 8 day venture.
Not only did the Boeing Starliner ship that they flew to the ISS in suffer issues, meaning that it had to return to Earth unmanned, but the SpaceX rocket that would then allow them to fly back home also fell victim to issues that seemed to persist until moments before takeoff.
Williams and Wilmore departed from the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft this morning (YouTube/NASA)
US President Donald Trump has made it a priority to bring the pair back home since returning to office in January, ordering SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk to ‘go get’ them both, and both have also insisted that the blame lies with the former Biden administration.
Regardless of these claims though the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket finally made it to the ISS on March 16, allowing the Crew-10 astronauts to undergo the necessary handover process with Williams and Wilmore, allowing them to begin their journey back home.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Crew-10 Dragon ship finally departed from the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. EST this morning, as shown in a livestream from NASA on YouTube.
Current estimates indicate that the ship will begin its deorbit burn at around 5:11 p.m. EST, and shortly after it will splash into the ocean off the coast of Florida at roughly 5:57 p.m. EST. (21:57 GMT)
It will then take about an hour for the crew – including both Williams and Wilmore alongside Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – to be retrieved from the ocean, and the entire process will once again be livestreamed on YouTube, starting at 4:45 p.m. EST.
While the astronauts will understandably be desperate to return to their families, which is something they’ve made clear to be a priority for them, it’s unfortunately going to be a challenging return to normal life after spending so much time in space.
They will be immediately stretchered off to a medical facility where they will spend six weeks in physical rehabilitation. This is due to the dangerous reduction in muscle mass and bone density that living for a lengthy period of time in low gravity causes, as your body – including your heart – has to work far less as it’s not being constantly dragged down.
They will undergo a number of cancer related screenings as a precaution due to the work that Williams and Wilmore conducted surrounding ultrasounds and radiation, as they could be under significant risk.
Featured Image Credit: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO / Contributor / Getty
Suni Williams says she will likely never return to space after 8-day mission turned into 9 months
This epic space mission might be her last
NASA astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Suni Williams reflect on their unexpectedly long mission as they head home after 286 days in space.
What was supposed to be an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) turned into almost nine months due to technical failures on the Boeing Starliner.
As they prepared to leave, emotions ran high as Williams and Wilmore bid farewell to the new Crew-10 team, who are set to take over ISS operations for the next six months. Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are replacing Wilmore, Williams, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
After undocking from the ISS at 05:05 GMT (01:05 EDT) on Tuesday (18 March), the astronauts are now travelling in a SpaceX capsule on a 17-hour trip back to Earth. They’re expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at 21:57 GMT (17:57 EDT) later today.
Suni had said this space mission might be her last. Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty
However, according to a BBC report, Suni was saddened at the fact this might be her last space mission. “I think just the fact that we’re living up here, in this very unique place, gives you an amazing perspective,” she described. “I don’t want to lose that spark of inspiration when I leave, so I’m going to have to bottle it somehow.”
Speaking in the weeks before their departure, Wilmore said they weren’t fazed when their mission was extended.
“We came up prepared to stay long, even though we plan to stay short,” he said. “That’s what we do in human space flight. That’s what your nation’s human space flight programme is all about.”
The pair also sent a message of appreciation to President Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, thanking them for their role in getting them home.
❤️🚀🚀❤️
But the journey home will be far from easy. The SpaceX Dragon capsule must endure a blazing re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures of up to 1,600C (2,912°F).
As the spacecraft rapidly slows down, the astronauts will experience intense g-forces, about four times the Earth’s gravity. Four large parachutes will deploy and allow the craft to land gently in the ocean, where recovery teams will be waiting to bring them aboard.
Once back on solid ground, Williams and Wilmore will undergo rehabilitation and recovery treatments to re-adjust to life with gravity again. Nevertheless, their return marks the end of an unforgettable mission that made international headlines.
Featured Image Credit: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO / Contributor / Getty
Shocking amount of money stranded astronauts are likely to be paid after 8-day mission turned into over 9 months
Their time in space is treated like a regular work trip
The days are getting closer until SpaceX and NASA can finally bring the two stranded astronauts home safely.
In the meantime, you’ve got to wonder – are they at least getting a nice paycheck for being stuck in space all that time?
NASA astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams have been on board the International Space Station (ISS) since last June on what was supposed to be a week-long mission.
However, their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered technical difficulties, leaving them stranded in space.
The wait slowly turned into nine months and counting.
Just yesterday (12 March), the rescue mission was ready to go – SpaceX was set to launch Crew-10 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Florida. But, less than an hour before liftoff, the mission was aborted, with Musk’s space company reporting a hydraulic system issue in the launch tower.
The rescue mission has been rescheduled for 14 March. GREGG NEWTON / Contributor / Getty
This is yet another delay to the pair’s rescue, following Crew-10, a joint Nasa-SpaceX mission that was scheduled on 12 February but postponed due to a problem with one of the rocket’s clamp arms.
Crew-10 has been rescheduled for launch on 14 March. At least after all that, they can look forward to a hefty paycheque, right?
Well, according to retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, astronauts don’t really get any special overtime beyond their standard salary.
Given that they are federal employees, their time in space is treated just like a regular work trip on Earth – which is underwhelming, to say the least.
“There is some small amount of money every say for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” Coleman informed, but this is likely to be around just $4 per day, totalling $1,004 each for their time so far.
Furthermore, the space agency insists that the astronauts are not exactly ‘stranded’.
Wilmore and Williams have been stranded for over nine months. NASA / Handout / Getty
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said in an interview with Washingtonian that ‘the party line at NASA is that the astronauts are not stranded,’ and the situation has been ‘way overblown.’
“They’re fine,” McDowell explained. “They just got to do an extra spacewalk, which they love. They’ll come home on the next ride.”
This doesn’t really consider the possible health concerns that the pair may be enduring.
Photos have shown the astronauts looking visibly thinner, and reports indicate they have to exercise for hours every day to prevent serious health issues caused by chronic weightlessness.
Still, Williams has remained positive, reflecting on the unexpected extension of their mission.
“Of course, you know, we came up here thinking we’d be only here for a little while and do our test flight, but then the added time here has allowed us to do all the science experiments,” she said.
“We’ve gone through a lot of holidays together. We’ve learned how to make cakes up here for each other. So it’s been a lot of fun actually.”
Featured Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
NASA finally reveal return date for ‘stranded’ astronauts whose 8-day mission turned into 278 days
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will soon be back on terra firma
The space saga of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore is finally coming to an end.
While the former has insisted the pair of NASA astronauts aren’t stranded aboard the International Space Station, the fact their eight-day mission has turned into a 278-day one (and counting) has us all feeling for them.
Capturing the attention of the world and even being used as political pawns by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the dynamic duo has barely been out of the news since their Boeing Crew Flight Test starliner malfunctioned and had to be sent back to Earth without them.
The POTUS had called on Musk to go and ‘rescue’ Williams and Wilmore, but finally, NASA has confirmed the date they should be back on Earth.
Although the pair will have to go through a brutal regime of rehab, we’re sure they’ll be more than happy to have finally left the confines of the ISS.
Williams and Wilmore will soon be back on Earth (NASA)
As reported by Space.com, NASA has cleared the Crew-10 relief crew that will launch inside the SpaceX Dragon on March 12.
NASA officials say that Williams and Wilmore should return to Earth on March 16, by which point, they’ll have been in space for 283 days.
While the empty Starliner headed back in September 2024, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov flew as part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission with two empty seasons on their Dragon for Williams and Wilmore. All four will fly back once the relief crew reaches the ISS.
ISS program manager Dana Weigel explained: “When we looked at the situation at the time, we had a Crew-9 launch in front of us. It made sense to take the opportunity to bring Crew-9 up with just two seats and have Butch and Suni fill in, and do the rest of the long-duration mission.
Crew-10 will take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for a mission expected to last six months.
This crew is commanded and piloted by NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, who are joined by mission specialists JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
These four were due to fly on SpaceX’s brand-new Dragon, but with pressure mounting to bring back Williams and Wilmore, they’re now flying on the veteran Endurance capsule that’s already been to the ISS and back three times.
Despite pressure from Trump, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stitch said it’s typical for missions to face delays: “We’re always looking and refining the manifest. We started looking at that schedule, and at that time, early this year, late January, that’s when we finally decided we’ll move to [Endurance].”
Endurance and Crew-10 are due to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on March 12 and reach the ISS about 14 hours later.
While Williams and Wilmore’s stay is still a way off the 437 days that Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov spent aboard the Mir Space Station in 1994 and 1995, they’ll undoubtedly be glad to be back with their loved ones.
