NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Extended Space Mission
Astronauts Whelmer and Williams land off the Florida coast after nine months in space due to unexpected technical challenges.
NASA astronauts Butch Whelmer and his colleague Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, descending in a SpaceX capsule off the coast of Florida following an extended mission in space that lasted nine months.
The initial duration of the mission was intended to be approximately one week, but was prolonged due to various technical issues, including malfunctions in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
The duo, both veteran astronauts from the United States space agency NASA, launched aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft alongside two other astronauts from the International Space Station at 1:05 AM Eastern Time (0505 GMT) for a journey back to Earth estimated to take 17 hours.
The four-member crew, officially part of NASA's Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere around 5:45 PM Eastern Time.
Whelmer and Williams's flight marked a continuation of a mission that began in June when they became the first crew to board the Starliner in a test flight expected to last eight days.
However, issues with the spacecraft's propulsion system led to numerous delays, prompting NASA to decide last year to facilitate their return aboard a SpaceX vehicle as part of its crew rotation program.
This mission garnered attention from former President Donald Trump, who called for the acceleration of Whelmer and Williams's return upon taking office in January.
Trump claimed, without evidence, that his successor, President Joe Biden, had 'abandoned' the astronauts at the International Space Station for political reasons.
In total, Whelmer and Williams spent 286 days in space, surpassing the average duration of six months for missions aboard the International Space Station.
The initial duration of the mission was intended to be approximately one week, but was prolonged due to various technical issues, including malfunctions in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
The duo, both veteran astronauts from the United States space agency NASA, launched aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft alongside two other astronauts from the International Space Station at 1:05 AM Eastern Time (0505 GMT) for a journey back to Earth estimated to take 17 hours.
The four-member crew, officially part of NASA's Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere around 5:45 PM Eastern Time.
Whelmer and Williams's flight marked a continuation of a mission that began in June when they became the first crew to board the Starliner in a test flight expected to last eight days.
However, issues with the spacecraft's propulsion system led to numerous delays, prompting NASA to decide last year to facilitate their return aboard a SpaceX vehicle as part of its crew rotation program.
This mission garnered attention from former President Donald Trump, who called for the acceleration of Whelmer and Williams's return upon taking office in January.
Trump claimed, without evidence, that his successor, President Joe Biden, had 'abandoned' the astronauts at the International Space Station for political reasons.
In total, Whelmer and Williams spent 286 days in space, surpassing the average duration of six months for missions aboard the International Space Station.
