NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have safely returned to Earth after a mission that extended from what was meant to be a week-long flight to an incredible 9 months in space.
Their SpaceX capsule splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday evening, hours after leaving the International Space Station. The return ended a mission that lasted 286 days, following a series of issues with their original Boeing Starliner capsule.
A replacement crew, including NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, had flown up in a SpaceX capsule last fall with two empty seats to bring Wilmore and Williams home. “On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home,” SpaceX Mission Control in California radioed as the astronauts exited the capsule. “What a ride,” Hague responded, the capsule’s commander. “I see a capsule full of grins ear to ear.”
During their extended mission, Wilmore and Williams circled the Earth 4,576 times and traveled 195 million kilometers. Williams even set a record for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman.
The two astronauts adapted from being guests to full-fledged crew members on the station, conducting experiments, repairing equipment, and doing spacewalks together.
“This has been nine months in the making, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team’s versatility, our team’s ability to adapt and really build for the future of human spaceflight,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
Once off the SpaceX recovery ship and flown to Houston, Wilmore and Williams will reunite with their families. The astronauts will undergo checkups by flight surgeons as they readjust to gravity, and they should be cleared to go home within a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the Boeing Starliner capsule remains under investigation. SpaceX is expected to launch NASA’s next crew in July.
