After a surprise nine-month stint aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally arrived back on Earth. But before the boats had even helped them out of their SpaceX capsule, the astronauts were welcomed by a stunning surprise in the waters.
After a 17-hour trip, the capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida and was welcomed by a pod of curious dolphins. Video footage shows around four or five dolphins swimming around the spacecraft as recovery crews worked to secure the capsule. Their landing on Earth finally marks the end of a mission that was only supposed to last only for eight days.
Butch Wilmore, 62, and Suni Williams, 59, were only meant to be on board the ISS for eight days in June of last year as part of a test flight of Boeing’s Starline.
However, multiple issues with the spacecraft during their journey resulted in their return being cancelled by NASA.
(Image: NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
The astronauts were eventually transferred to Elon Musk’s SpaceX programme, with plans to bring them back by February.
However, issues with the SpaceX return capsule caused the pilots to endure another month floating in space. Starliner returned safely to Earth empty in early September, but that meant the pair needed a new ride home.
They ended up spending a mammoth 286 days in space, during which time they circled the Earth 4,576 times. This is longer than the average six-month mission length, but far shorter than that of US record holder Frank Rubio, who pent 371 days in space, ending in 2023.
(Image: NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
Depsite being on the ISS for much longer than planned, the NASA pair embraced their stay.
They carried out an array of experiments on board the orbiting lab and conducted spacewalks, with Suni breaking the record for the woman who spent the most hours outside of the space station. At Christmas, the team dressed in Santa hats and reindeer antlers.
Speaking to CNN, Butch Wilmore said: “We don’t feel abandoned. We don’t feel stuck. We don’t feel stranded.
“I understand why others may think that. We come prepared. We come committed. That is what your human space flight program is. It prepares for any and all contingencies that we can conceive of, and we prepare for those.”
(Image: AP)