Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to return to Earth after being stuck on the International Space Station since June. Their mission was originally scheduled to last only one week, but they were stranded in space after issues with Boeing’s Starliner forced NASA to bring it back empty. Wilmore, Williams, Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov were supposed to splash down off Florida’s coast on Wednesday, but bad weather has caused NASA to target undocking at 1:05 a.m. ET on Tuesday with splashdown just before 6 p.m. the same day to allow the crew to complete handover duties.
A Crew-9 media conference is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on their return day. Meanwhile, Crew-10 arrived at the space station, adding four more astronauts to the onboard total. Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner welcomed the newcomers by wearing an alien mask in a lighthearted gesture. The new arrivals, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are set to stay on the station for roughly six months. They will join the stuck astronauts in conducting scientific research and routine maintenance.
The stuck astronauts have been passing their time in space by doing research and maintenance work. Suni Williams mentioned that she is looking forward to returning home to see her family and two dogs, acknowledging that it has been a roller coaster experience for them. The mission was only supposed to last one week, but due to the issues with Boeing’s Starliner, the astronauts found themselves stuck on the space station for an extended period of time. Now, they will finally be able to return to Earth after spending several months in space.
The arrival of Crew-10 to the space station brings the total number of astronauts onboard to 11. The crew members have been working on various tasks, including research projects and maintaining the space station. The arrival of four new astronauts will provide additional support for the ongoing activities on the space station, which includes scientific research, maintenance work, and other tasks. The crew members are expected to work together for the next six months to carry out their mission on the space station.
NASA is targeting a specific time for undocking and splashdown to ensure that the returning astronauts have enough time to complete their handover duties before facing potentially unfavorable weather conditions later in the week. The crew members have been preparing for their return to Earth, and they are looking forward to reuniting with their families after spending several months on the International Space Station. The astronauts have been conducting scientific research and routine maintenance work during their time in space, and they are ready to come back to Earth after a prolonged mission in orbit.
