Marking the conclusion of a historic space mission, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at around 3.30 am Indian Time on Wednesday.
Wilmore and Williams embarked on a one-week-long space venture to the International Space Station (ISS) last year. However, their stay got extended owing to unforeseen technical glitches including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions in the carrying spacecraft.
They spent 286 days in space — 278 days longer than anticipated when they launched. They circled Earth 4,576 times and traveled 121 million miles (195 million kilometers) by the time of splashdown.
Splashdown On Gulf Of Mexico
On Tuesday evening local time, the SpaceX capsule carrying the astronauts parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico just hours after departing the International Space Station (ISS). The splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle.
Within an hour after the splashdown, the astronauts were out of their capsule. Videos captured them waving and smiling at the cameras while being escorted in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks after the prolonged space venture.
Videos shared by NASA on X showed Dolphins circling the capsule as divers readied it for hoisting onto the recovery ship. Once safely on board, the side hatch was opened and the astronauts were helped out, one by one.
With the arrival of their relief crew on Sunday, Wilmore and Williams were finally cleared to return. Nasa opted for an early departure, considering the unpredictable weather forecast later in the week.
During their nine-month-long extended stay in the ISS, the senior astronauts reportedly engaged in over 150 scientific experiments, contributing significantly to ongoing research in space. They also circled Earth 4,576 times and traveled 121 million miles (195 million kilometers) by the time of splashdown.
