Splashdown, butch and sun!

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams being helped out of the capsule; (right) the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after it landed in Florida waters

Stuck in space no more, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago.

Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico in the early evening, just hours after departing the International Space Station. Splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, bringing their unplanned odyssey to an end.

Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule, waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks.

It all started with a flawed Boeing test flight last spring.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (extreme right) with (from left) Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov after they land in Florida, on Tuesday. Pics/AFP

The two were expected to be gone just a week or so after launching on Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule on June 5. So many problems cropped up on the way to the space station that NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty and transferred the test pilots to SpaceX, pushing their homecoming into February. Then SpaceX capsule issues added another month's delay.

Sunday's arrival of their relief crew meant Wilmore and Williams could finally leave.

Wilmore and Williams ended up spending 286 days in space - 278 days longer than anticipated when they launched. "On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home," radioed SpaceX Mission Control in California.

Dolphins greet capsule

Dolphins circled the capsule as divers readied it for hoisting onto the recovery ship. Once safely on board, the side hatch was opened and the astronauts were helped out, one by one. Williams was next-to-last out, followed by Wilmore who gave two gloved thumbs-up. Wilmore and Williams' plight captured the world's attention, giving new meaning to the phrase "stuck at work" and turning "Butch and Suni" into household names.

Wilmore and Williams quickly transitioned from guests to full-fledged station crew members, conducting experiments, fixing equipment and even spacewalking together. With 62 hours over nine spacewalks, Williams set a record: the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.

Both had lived on the orbiting lab before and knew the ropes, and brushed up on their station training before rocketing away. Williams became the station's commander three months into their stay and held the post until earlier this month.

Butch, Suni were calm

Even in the middle of the political storm, Wilmore and Williams continued to maintain an even keel at public appearances from orbit, casting no blame and insisting they supported NASA's decisions from the start.

Both retired Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams stressed they didn't mind spending more time in space - a prolonged deployment reminiscent of their
military days. But they acknowledged it was tough on their families.

Wilmore, 62, missed most of his younger daughter's senior year of high school; his older daughter is in college. Williams, 59, had to settle for internet calls from space to her husband, mother and other relatives.

"We have not been worried about her because she has been in good spirits," said Falguni Pandya, who is married to Williams' cousin. "She was definitely ready to come home."

India reacts

Droupadi Murmu, President
"Congratulations to the entire team behind the safe return of NASA's Crew 9 mission on Earth! Their historic journey is a tale of determination, teamwork and extraordinary courage. I salute their unwavering resolve and wish them excellent health!"

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
‘Welcome back, #Crew9! The Earth missed you. Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career. We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity'

Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president
‘Welcome back to Earth, Sunita Williams! On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I extend our warmest felicitations. The safe conclusion of your extended mission has brought a sense of relief and elation to the 1.4 billion citizens of India, who are immensely proud of your accomplishments'

Space Ordeal

June 5, 2024

In 7-10 days

After 286 days

4576 times

195 mn km

The Problem

The Starliner capsule owned by Boeing faced two issues: One with a set of thrusters and the other involving helium leaks in the vehicle's propulsion system. Scientists and engineers struggled for months to determine a solution. Until then, Wilmore and Williams had no alternative but to remain in space

Space X to the rescue

After a few initial hiccups, SpaceX (owned by Elon Musk) Crew-9 completed the agency's ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday bringing the stuck crew safely back to Earth.

How did Suni, Butch spend their time?

Suni, 59, and Butch, 62, helped ongoing missions at the station with maintenance and experiments, and conducted spacewalks. Suni ventured outside in mid-January with astronaut Nick Hague to perform repairs on the craft. She and Butch went out together later. Their tasks included repairing equipment that governs station orientation, adding light filters on the NICER X-ray telescope, and replacing a reflector device.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever