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(TAMPA) After nearly nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have safely returned to Earth. The Starliner Space crew made a successful splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, just off the coast of Tallahassee.
These astronauts departed on June 5th for what they believed would be a week-long journey. However, issues began to arise with the Starliner almost immediately. The spacecraft faced multiple technical challenges during its test flight, resulting in a need to change course. In order to ensure their safety, the astronauts’ travel was extended far beyond the initial timeline. The crew was transferred off of their spacecraft and into SpaceX care. However, this would not be the end of the complications the crew would face during their journey. The transfer caused a further month’s delay to the astronauts’ homecoming.
Despite the extended stay in space, the crew maintained an optimistic outlook. They found excitement in the opportunity to continue their research and share more of their findings and experiences with Earth. While in space, Suni Williams spoke to CBS News while aboard the International Space Station and shared her favorite part about being in space.
“One of the things I like to do up here is sort of write a recap of the week and send it down to people so they can see what fun we’re having and what kind of work we’re doing up here,” Williams said.
Williams describes her weekly journals to Earth as a way to stay connected and also educate on the things she has learned while in orbit. She feels her time in space has helped her personally reflect and gain a new perspective on life. Williams hopes by sharing her experiences, humanity can also shift their perspective and gain a fresh understanding of life around them.
“We’re doing world-class science as well as living with other people for the betterment of so much. Being able to have a perspective out the window, as well as upside down or sideways, is something that I hope we can pass on to the rest of humanity,” said Williams.
After 286 days in space, the crew had traveled 121 million miles circling the earth. The SpaceX capsule splashed down at 2:57 pm. As the spacecraft landed, it was surrounded by a pod of dolphins. Divers and recovery crew hurried to safely extract the astronauts from the capsule.
Within an hour of splashdown, Willmore and Williams were seen smiling and waving as they were taken to routine medical examinations. Despite the long mission, the crew was excited to be reunited with family and loved ones. Even after their prolonged mission and complications with the initial spacecraft, the crew sustained no injuries either during their travel or during landing. However, medical staff explained that it may take the astronauts a few weeks to fully adjust to the change in Earth’s gravity.
Willmore and Williams’ return marked a successful completion of another exploratory journey in space for both NASA and SpaceX. Their hope is that their travels will not only advance space exploration but also deepen humanity’s understanding and perspective of life, both on Earth and beyond.