The two astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to Earth safely after 9 months trapped on the International Space Station. They were originally scheduled to stay on the ISS for just one week after flying into space on the first test flight of the Boeing Starliner in June 2024.
However, due to the Starliner's propulsion system's continuous problems, the plan to return to Earth has been continuously delayed. This year, NASA decided to bring them back on crew Dragon, as part of the crew rotation plan.
On March 18, local time, explorers Wilmore and Williams, along with two other explorers, boarded crew Dragon, separated from the ISS at 12:05 noon, saying goodbye to the remaining 7 members on the station. After a 5-hour journey, the ship re-entered the atmosphere at around 4:45 a.m. on March 19, reducing its speed from 27,000 km/h to 27 km/h before receiving water, about 80 km from the shore of Florida Bay (USA).
As soon as landed, crew-10 mission commander Nick Hague reported to the control center: "It was a long journey. Everyone in the room laughed to the point of bringing their ears." After that, the rescue team salvaged the ship, put the astronauts on a rescue ship and quickly flew to the Johnson Space Center for health check-ups before reuniting with their families.
The Starliner incident raises big questions about the future of the spacecraft program developed by Boeing, especially when SpaceX's crew Dragon is currently the only US vehicle that can put spacesengers in and out of orbit.
staying outdoors for too long can affect the body, such as muscle atrophy and impaired vision. The two space travelers stayed on the ISS for 286 days - longer than the 6-month average for ISS missions, but still shorter than Frank Rubio's record of 371 days in 2023.
For pilot Williams, this is her third trip to space, bringing her total space travel time to 608 days - second in NASA's history, behind Peggy Whitson (675 days). The world record currently belongs to Russian traveler Oleg Kononenko with 878 days.
To ensure the operation of the ISS, explorers Wilmore and Williams had to wait for the replacement crew to arrive before leaving. crew-10, consisting of four astronauts, arrived at the ISS on the evening of March 15 (local time), bringing the number of members living on the ISS to 11 in a short time.
"We are prepared for a long trip, although the original plan was short-term," Wilmore asserted, denying the possibility of NASA keeping them on the ISS longer for political reasons. "We always plan for unpredictable situations, and this time too," he said.
During the waiting period, they will continue to conduct scientific research and maintain the ISS. Ms. Williams also took two outdoor walks, each lasting 6 hours.
