Sunita Williams lastly returned to Earth on Wednesday after spending for much longer than deliberate on the Worldwide House Station. Her mission, initially set for only a few days, changed into a nine-month keep. This delay turned a significant matter in U.S. politics, with President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk blaming the earlier administration for not dealing with the state of affairs properly. NASA, with assist from Elon Musk, created a backup plan to carry astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams again from the Worldwide House Station. They have been stranded there for 9 months as a result of their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had technical points and couldn’t be used for his or her return to Earth. Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the earlier Biden administration for the lengthy delay, claiming—with out proof—that politics performed a task in retaining them on the ISS.
NASA and SpaceX officers didn’t affirm Musk’s claims throughout a latest press convention. Steve Stich, NASA’s industrial crew program supervisor, defined that they thought-about completely different choices earlier than deciding one of the best ways to carry the astronauts dwelling with SpaceX’s assist.
The White Home repeated Trump’s declare that he sped up their return, posting “PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT” on X.
With Tuesday’s splashdown bringing the lengthy journey to an finish, listed below are 10 key factors about Sunita Williams’ return to Earth.
- Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, each skilled NASA astronauts and former Navy check pilots, went to area in June final 12 months on Starliner’s first crewed mission. It was presupposed to final simply eight days. Nevertheless, issues with the spacecraft’s propulsion system delayed their return.
- In August, NASA determined to ship the Starliner spacecraft again to Earth with out them, whereas they waited for a SpaceX Crew Dragon to carry them dwelling. The Dragon arrived on the ISS with two empty seats, and Starliner returned with no crew in September.
- Whereas ready, Williams and Wilmore adjusted their mission, conducting analysis and sustaining the area station. Williams additionally carried out two spacewalks, every lasting six hours, together with one with Wilmore.
- With this mission, Williams has now spent a complete of 608 days in area, making her the second longest-serving US astronaut after Peggy Whitson, who has 675 days. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko holds the world report with 878 days.
- The mission caught the eye of former US President Donald Trump, who, after taking workplace in January, pushed for his or her faster return. He claimed that former President Joe Biden had “deserted” them for political causes. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk supported Trump’s claims.
- On Friday, the SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived on the ISS with a alternative crew, permitting Williams and Wilmore to return. After a brief handover, the Dragon undocked early Tuesday for a 17-hour journey again to Earth.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to Williams, who has Indian roots, inviting her to go to India after her return.
- The 4 astronauts, a part of NASA’s Crew-9 mission, re-entered Earth’s environment round 5:45 p.m. ET. Their spacecraft used the environment and parachutes to decelerate from 17,000 mph to only 17 mph earlier than safely touchdown within the ocean, about 50 miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
- The capsule was lifted onto a ship, and the astronauts have been taken to a NASA airplane. They are going to keep on the Johnson House Middle in Houston for well being check-ups earlier than returning dwelling to their households. In India, celebrations broke out in Sunita Williams’ native village after her secure touchdown.
- The White Home repeated Trump’s declare that he helped velocity up the astronauts’ return, saying it was a “promise made, promise stored.”
The crew will first obtain medical check-ups on the rescue ship, with ongoing monitoring within the following days and weeks. Later immediately, the Crew-9 workforce can be taken to NASA’s facility in Houston for additional medical assessments.
