NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore finally came back to earth after spending more than nine months aboard the International Space Station. The Astronauts coming home is a joyful moment for the entire world. Their return was delayed due to technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
NASA crew prepares for splashdown
The SpaceX Dragon capsule undocked from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET on Tuesday, beginning a 17-hour journey home. If all goes as planned, the capsule will splash down off the Florida coast at 5:57 p.m. ET.
Williams and Wilmore originally planned to spend just eight days in space, but Starliner’s thruster failures and helium leaks forced NASA to send the craft back to Earth without its crew. The astronauts were then stranded in orbit for months, awaiting a safe ride home.
Families await emotional reunion
Wilmore’s daughter Daryn, 19, shared her excitement about her father’s return. She said she plans to give him a big hug and bake his favorite pecan pie. Wilmore’s family, waiting in Houston, has spent months eagerly anticipating his return.
Meanwhile, the astronauts are preparing for reentry, donning special launch and entry suits for protection. The descent through Earth’s atmosphere is one of the most dangerous phases of space travel.
NASA tracks capsule’s path to Earth
NASA has released a detailed splashdown projection, showing Crew-9 flying over South America and Mexico before landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The agency warned that the capsule will be difficult to spot in daylight.
Social media is buzzing with excitement. Wilmore’s daughter even posted a TikTok video in an astronaut costume celebrating his return. Commenters have flooded the post with support for the astronaut and his family.
Elon Musk sparks political controversy
SpaceX owner Elon Musk has reignited political debate over the mission. He claims that the Biden administration did not want him to rescue the astronauts before the 2024 election.
Speaking on a podcast with Senator Ted Cruz, Musk suggested that the White House delayed the mission because of his ties to Donald Trump. He also claimed one of the astronauts is a Republican and the other a Democrat, though he did not say which was which.
SpaceX to the rescue
Despite the controversy, SpaceX played a crucial role in getting the astronauts home. NASA had relied on Boeing’s Starliner for this mission, but after severe technical problems, they turned to SpaceX.
A new video from NASA shows the Dragon capsule detaching from the ISS, beginning its long descent. SpaceX has now completed nine crewed missions to the ISS, proving its reliability over Boeing.
The final countdown
As the astronauts come home, NASA is closely monitoring every phase of their return. Crews are standing by in the Atlantic Ocean to retrieve them once the capsule safely lands.
The world will be watching as Williams and Wilmore complete their unexpected space odyssey and finally return to solid ground.
