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NASA Astronaut Suni Williams and Butch Willmore have finally returned home.
The astronauts, who had initially planned to visit the International Space Station for just a week, ended up staying for over nine months and are now scheduled to leave on Tuesday.
Their journey back to Earth marks the end of a unique chapter in spaceflight history. Williams and Wilmore gained recognition when they embarked on the first crew test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June. However, issues with the vehicle’s thruster during docking with the space station led to NASA returning the Starliner to Earth without anyone on board.
As a result, Williams and Wilmore had to extend their stay, but they are now set to depart on Tuesday at 1:05am aboard the SpaceX Dragon Capsule. The astronauts are expected to splash down off the Florida coast at 5:57pm ET.
Joining them on the return flight are NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The timing of their return on Tuesday was determined based on optimal conditions expected for the evening of March 18th, as stated in a NASA statement.
The four-person crew arrived at the space station in September aboard a SpaceX vehicle, carrying Hague, Gorbunov, and two empty seats for their colleagues. Williams and Wilmore stayed behind to allow Hague and Gorbunov to complete their mission.
Despite the challenges they faced, Williams and Wilmore have embraced their extended stay in space and have enjoyed their time orbiting the Earth.
In a recent news briefing, Williams and Wilmore chose to focus on their mission rather than engage in politics. Williams expressed her disagreement with Elon Musk’s suggestion that the US should halt operations on the International Space Station earlier than planned.
“I think we’re thriving right now,” she said. “It’s not the right time to abandon it.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
