The highly anticipated return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore at the International Space Station is free of barriers.
Williams and Wilmore flew from the International Space Station (ISS) with astronaut Nick Hague and astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, splashing off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida before 6 p.m. ET. The weather was clear and the Atlantic Ocean was described as “glass-like” by NASA’s on-site feed on X.
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After the Dragon Capsule with SpaceX’s Crew 9 splashed out, the speedboat sailed towards the capsule. Afterwards, NASA officials climbed up the dragon and inspected four astronauts as dolphins swam nearby (visible on NASA’s 1:33 Mark on NASA’s live feed). After a quick inspection, hang the capsules onto a larger boat, Megan, and then wash the hose to wash away the corrosive seawater.
Mixable light speed
The hatch was quickly opened, and Commander Nick Hague was the first to be extracted from the dragon, followed by Gorbnov, Williams and Wilmore. Less than an hour after the splash, all the astronauts were extracted and loaded onto a stretcher because their muscles needed time to adapt to the gravity of the Earth.
SpaceX’s Crew-9’s return is striking for many reasons, but most importantly, Williams and Wilmore returned to Earth after eight-day first ISS trip to 286 days or more than nine months, thanks to their Boeing Streginer ship experiencing advance issues when it arrived last June.
NASA will provide the media with more updates on Williams, Wilmore, The Hague and Gobnov at a press conference scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
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