After nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned to Earth. Their SpaceX capsule re-entered the atmosphere in a fiery descent before parachuting to a smooth splashdown off Florida’s coast, where a pod of dolphins circled their craft.
Originally set for an eight-day mission, their stay was extended due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe for their return. NASA arranged for them to fly back on a SpaceX capsule that arrived in September, prolonging their mission until now.
During their extended stay, they conducted crucial experiments and spacewalks, with Williams setting a record for the most hours spent outside the space station by a woman. After landing, they were helped onto stretchers as standard procedure after prolonged weightlessness. The duo will undergo medical checks at NASA’s Johnson Space Center before reuniting with their families and beginning their re-adaptation to Earth’s gravity.
