NASA Astronauts After Nine Months Stranded on the ISS, They Are Finally Heading Down to Earth

Having spent nine months on the ISS, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are currently on their way down to Earth.

Tuesday marks the return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth after more than nine months on board the International Space Station (ISS).

They are traveling back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after a protracted stay caused by technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spaceship.

Initially, Williams and Wilmore were scheduled to launch in June 2024 for an eight-day test voyage of Boeing’s Starliner capsule.

Nevertheless, NASA decided to abandon them on the ISS and bring the Starliner back to Earth empty due to unforeseen technical issues. After two seats on a SpaceX Dragon capsule became available, the astronauts were forced to wait for a different way to get home.

Together with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague, the two astronauts are now returning to the ISS crew after months of integration. In September 2024, Hague and Gorbunov reached the ISS as part of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which had originally flown with just two men instead of the four that were originally scheduled. Because of this change, Williams and Wilmore were able to reserve tickets on the return flight.

Hague previously spent 203 days aboard the ISS in 2019, while Gorbunov is making his first space flight.

It will take almost 17 hours to return to Earth, with a splashdown scheduled for just before 22:00 GMT. There is a strict timeframe for the return process:

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule disengages from the International Space Station at 5:05 GMT.

The capsule uses its rockets to slow down and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at 21:11 GMT, completing a deorbit burn.

Splashdown in the ocean at 21:57 GMT.

It will be a tremendous experience to reenter. The heat shield is necessary to protect the astronauts from the tremendous heat, which the capsule will experience at temperatures as high as 1,600°C. The astronauts will be subjected to forces that are almost four times Earth’s gravity as the spacecraft rapidly decelerates as it plunges through the atmosphere.

In order to slow the capsule down sufficiently for a controlled ocean landing, four enormous parachutes will eventually open. Even though the last drop will be somewhat abrupt, it guarantees a safe and mild splashdown.

Normally, astronauts stay on the ISS for roughly six months, but Wilmore and Williams have now spent more than nine months there. Given the substantial alterations the human body experiences in a microgravity environment, this prolonged stay has severe repercussions.

Even with regular exercise, astronauts lose muscle mass and bone density as a result of extended weightlessness. In addition to affecting blood circulation, the lack of gravity can cause fluid movements that may impair vision.

Furthermore, astronauts are exposed to increased radiation levels, which might have long-term negative effects on their health.

Astronauts are extensively watched by NASA both during and after their missions. The majority of these bodily changes can be reversed, although it takes time to re-adapt to Earth’s gravity.

They packed light because Williams and Wilmore had originally anticipated returning in a little more than a week. Although the team managed to play the card game Williams prepared, she initially questioned if it would function in zero gravity. Wilmore wore a gold ring that was a memento of his career, with emotional wings of a naval aviator. In the meanwhile, Hague added a personal touch to his appearance on the program by bringing sheet music.

Food, water, clothing, and oxygen were regularly delivered to the ISS, guaranteeing that the astronauts had the consumables they needed despite the unanticipated delay.

Returning to Earth will be both exciting and a relief for the astronauts. In 1991, British astronaut Helen Sharman returned from space in a Soyuz capsule, describing the experience as thrilling but intense.

Despite their experience as astronauts, they will be quite happy to return to Earth. “What gets you first is the fresh air,” she remarked.

Walking on solid ground, feeling the wind, and standing up straight will be a wonderful change after months of floating in microgravity.