NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are safely back on Earth, but their welcome party turned out to be a bit more special than expected—a pod of dolphins showed up to greet them near their capsule! 🐬🚀
After launching to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, 2024, as part of the final test flight of Boeing’s Starliner (and its first crewed mission), the duo was initially set to return after just eight days. However, due to technical issues with Starliner, their stay stretched out to a whopping nine months—way longer than planned! 😲
Despite the extended stay, Williams and Wilmore made the most of their time, even participating in a record-breaking spacewalk while waiting for their return ride. Still, NASA must have breathed a sigh of relief when the astronauts finally splashed down safely aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico at 5:57 PM EDT on March 18. Joining them on the return trip were Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague. 🌍🌊
“We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,” said NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro.
Once the capsule safely splashed down, a team of SpaceX recovery vessels moved in to assist. That’s when a surprise group of dolphins decided to crash the party! 🐬✨ The curious creatures surfaced near the capsule as the astronauts and cosmonaut prepared to exit their spacecraft and return to land.
🎥 You can watch the moment they opened the hatch and took their first breaths of fresh air in nine months in the video below. After reaching shore, the crew was flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with their families. 💙🏡
During their time on the ISS, the crew traveled an astonishing 195,289,856 kilometers (121,347,491 miles), orbiting Earth 4,576 times. Thanks to this extended mission, Wilmore has now logged 464 days in space, while Williams has an impressive total of 608 days! 🚀✨
“This mission showcases NASA and SpaceX’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of human space exploration, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars,” Petro added.
ref : iflscience
