Splashdown, butch and sun!

Stuck in space no more NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months agoTheir SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico in the early evening just hours after departing the International Space Station Splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle bringing their unplanned odyssey to an endWithin an hour the astronauts were out of their capsule waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checksIt all started with a flawed Boeing test flight last springNASA astronaut Sunita Williams extreme right with from left Nick Hague Butch Wilmore and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov after they land in Florida on Tuesday PicsAFPThe two were expected to be gone just a week or so after launching on Boeingrsquos new Starliner crew capsule on June 5 So many problems cropped up on the way to the space station that NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty and transferred the test pilots to SpaceX pushing their homecoming into February Then SpaceX capsule issues added another monthrsquos delaySundayrsquos arrival of their relief crew meant Wilmore and Williams could finally leaveWilmore and Williams ended up spending 286 days in spacemdash278 days longer than anticipated when they launched ldquoOn behalf of SpaceX welcome homerdquo radioed SpaceX Mission Control in CaliforniaDolphins greet capsuleDolphins circled 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 Williams was nexttolast out followed by Wilmore who gave two gloved thumbsup Wilmore and Williamsrsquo plight captured the worldrsquos attention giving new meaning to the phrase ldquostuck at workrdquo and turning ldquoButch and Sunirdquo into household namesWilmore and Williams quickly transitioned from guests to fullfledged station crew members conducting experiments fixing equipment and even spacewalking together With 62 hours over nine spacewalks Williams set a record the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronautsBoth had lived on the orbiting lab before and knew the ropes and brushed up on their station training before rocketing away Williams became the stationrsquos commander three months into their stay and held the post until earlier this monthButch Suni were calmEven in the middle of the political storm Wilmore and Williams continued to maintain an even keel at public appearances from orbit casting no blame and insisting they supported NASArsquos decisions from the startBoth retired Navy captains Wilmore and Williams stressed they didnrsquot mind spending more time in space mdasha prolonged deployment reminiscent of theirmilitary days But they acknowledged it was tough on their familiesWilmore 62 missed most of his younger daughterrsquos senior year of high school his older daughter is in college Williams 59 had to settle for internet calls from space to her husband mother and other relativesldquoWe have not been worried about her because she has been in good spiritsrdquo said Falguni Pandya who is married to Williamsrsquo cousin ldquoShe was definitely ready to come homerdquoIndia reactsDroupadi Murmu PresidentldquoCongratulations to the entire team behind the safe return of NASArsquos Crew 9 mission on Earth Their historic journey is a tale of determination teamwork and extraordinary courage I salute their unwavering resolve and wish them excellent healthrdquoNarendra Modi Prime MinisterlsquoWelcome back Crew9 The Earth missed you Sunita Williams a trailblazer and an icon has exemplified this spirit throughout her career We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacityrsquoMallikarjun Kharge Congress presidentlsquoWelcome back to Earth Sunita Williams On behalf of the Indian National Congress I extend our warmest felicitations The safe conclusion of your extended mission has brought a sense of relief and elation to the 14 billion citizens of India who are immensely proud of your accomplishmentsrsquoSpace OrdealJune 5 2024In 710 daysAfter 286 days4576 times195 mn kmThe ProblemThe Starliner capsule owned by Boeing faced two issues One with a set of thrusters and the other involving helium leaks in the vehiclersquos propulsion system Scientists and engineers struggled for months to determine a solution Until then Wilmore and Williams had no alternative but to remain in spaceSpace X to the rescueAfter a few initial hiccups SpaceX owned by Elon Musk Crew9 completed the agencyrsquos ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday bringing the stuck crew safely back to EarthHow did Suni Butch spend their timeSuni 59 and Butch 62 helped ongoing missions at the station with maintenance and experiments and conducted spacewalks Suni ventured outside in midJanuary with astronaut Nick Hague to perform repairs on the craft She and Butch went out together later Their tasks included repairing equipment that governs station orientation adding light filters on the NICER Xray telescope and replacing a reflector deviceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever