NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were greeted by an unexpected welcome party as they returned to Earth yesterday after several dolphins came to investigate the capsule they rode in on .
Sunita " Suni " Williams and Barry " Butch " Wilmore departed for the International Space Station on June 5 , 2024 , the third and concluding test of Boeing ’s unexampled Starliner capsule , and its first launch with a crew . The mission was only ask to last for eight day before the two returned to Earth , but due to problems with Starliner , the two remained on board about 9 month longer than they had planned .
The two astronautshave been clearthat they were OK with the situation , and even get to participate in arecord - break spacewalkwhile waiting for their drive home .
Nevertheless , NASA will be still to have the two safely back on Earth , after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returned them just off the coast of Tallahassee , Florida , in theGulf of Mexico . The two were joined by Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague as they landed in the sea at 5:57 autopsy EDT on Tuesday , March 18 .
“ We are thrilled to have Suni , Butch , Nick , and Aleksandr home after their months - long mission conduct vital science , engineering science demonstrations , and sustentation aboard the International Space Station , ” NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro said in astatement .
Once splashdown had safely encounter , the bunch was greeted by a squad of small SpaceX recovery vessel . At this point , a group of dolphins joined the party , surfacing near the capsule as the astronauts and cosmonaut prepare to climb out of their spacecraft and give back to shoring .
you may see the bit the hatch is open and the four take their first breath of new gentle wind in 9 months in the video recording below . After reaching the shore , the gang flew to NASA ’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families .
While on card the ISS , the gang trip an impressive 195,289,856 kilometer ( 121,347,491 naut mi ) , orbiting the Earth 4,576 metre . Thanks to this extended commission , Wilmore has now logged 464 days in space , while Williams has logged 608 .
“ Per President Trump ’s direction , NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the agenda a month to begin with . This external crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration ’s challenge of an updated , and somewhat unique , deputation programme , to bring our crew home base , " Petro added . " Through preparation , cleverness , and inscription , we reach neat things together for the benefit of humanity , pushing the bounds of what is possible from small Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars . ”
