After nine months spent stranded at the International Space Station (ISS), Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally returned home, after NASA carefully prepared ahead of ‘less favourable weather conditions’
After nine long months, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have at last returned to Earth – but not before NASA carefully assessed weather conditions as they prepared for their arrival.
The stranded astronauts will splashed down off the Florida coast this evening (March 18), accompanied by NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia ’s Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) last autumn in their own SpaceX capsule.
When they set off into space on June 5, aboard Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule, Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59, had expected they’d be home within a week.
Unfortunately, they encountered so many problems en route to the ISS that NASA decided to send the aircraft back empty and transfer the test pilots to SpaceX.
This pushed their homecoming into February, while SpaceX capsule issues meant yet another month’s delay. Finally, following the arrival of their relief crew on Sunday, March 16, Wilmore and Williams were back on the road, so to speak, having been apart from their families for many months.
However, as explained by NASA, “less favourable weather conditions” anticipated this week meant they had to proceed with the greatest care. Florida has recently been experiencing stormy weather and high winds.
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According to an update issued by NASA: “NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station.
“Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favourable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18. The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favourable weather conditions expected for later in the week.”
NASA continued: “Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors.
“NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return.”
Retired Navy captains Wilmore and Williams, have previously shared that they weren’t fazed by spending such an extended period of time in space, during which time Williams broke the record for the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.
Both Wilmore and Williams had previously lived in the orbiting lab before and knew what was expected of them, mucking in when it came to conducting experiments and fixing equipment.
Williams even became the station’s commander three months into their unexpected stay, a post he held until earlier this month. However, as memorable as their adventure undoubtedly was, it did take a toll on their families back on Earth.
While Wilmore missed most of his youngest daughter’s senior year of high school. Williams was only able to communicate with her mother via internet calls. Now, they’re finally reunited with loved ones, landing at 10pm (GMT) on 18 March after a 17-hour journey.
After landing, the astronauts were greeted by the control centre: “Nick, Alec, Butch, Suni – on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home.” Commander Nick Hague responded: “What a ride I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear.”
You can stream live coverage of Crew-9 return activities on NASA+
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