NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned to Earth after a nine-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS). They originally planned to leave after an eight-day mission, but their return schedule was delayed by about nine months due to a technical defect in the Boeing spacecraft 'Starliner' they were aboard.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the two arrived safely in the waters off Florida at 6 p.m. on the 17th (local time, 7 a.m. on the 18th Korean time).
NASA and SpaceX livestreamed the moment Dragon left the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 a.m. on the same day with four astronauts onboard and began its journey back to Earth. The Dragon spacecraft deployed its parachutes safely about four minutes before landing and gradually reduced its descent speed before softly landing in the ocean.
Among the four astronauts who returned that day, NASA's Wilmore and Williams departed Earth on June 5 last year and returned after 287 days. The two were involved in a test flight to the ISS on Starliner, but became stranded there for an extended stay due to multiple defects found in the spacecraft. Starliner returned empty to Earth, and the two decided later to return to Earth on the Dragon spacecraft with ISS astronauts who were changing shifts.
In the meantime, the matter of the two astronauts' return became a political issue at one point. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and a close associate of former President Donald Trump, claimed that the Biden administration rejected his proposal to bring Wilmore and Williams home earlier for 'political reasons.' However, NASA explained that it could not bring the two to Earth earlier because it needed to maintain personnel at the ISS.
After meeting with the shift personnel on the 16th, Wilmore and Williams appeared healthy on the surface. However, it is highly probable that their bodies have experienced various changes due to the extended stay in a microgravity environment. NASA and scientists have already revealed that long-term stays in space can affect muscle and bone weakening, changes in the nervous system, and reduced immunity. The experiences of Wilmore and Williams are expected to provide important data for future space exploration, particularly for missions to distant planets such as Mars.