Two NASA astronauts, ‘Suni Williams’ and ‘Butch Wilmore’ have safely returned to earth following an unanticipated lengthy stay on the ISS. They had originally planned to use Boeing’s Starliner spaceship for an eight day test flight in June 2024, but technical problems with the propulsion system caused their mission to be extended.

They spent the past 9 months aboard the ISS until NASA was able to bring the new crew to replace them which arrived on March 15th. Wilmore and Williams returned back on March 18th. 

Their SpaceX capsule made a fast and fiery re-entry through the earth’s atmosphere before deploying four parachutes, ensuring a smooth splashdown off the Florida coast A pod of dolphins swam around the craft as it floated on the water.

 Immediately after, a recovery ship hoisted the capsule out, the astronauts emerged smiling and waving as they were assisted from the hatch, joined by fellow crew members astronaut ‘Nick Hague’ and cosmonaut ‘Aleksandr Gorbunov’. 

Now that the astronauts have returned home, they will soon be transported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for medical evaluations by experts. 

The body takes time to fully recover, so the pair will follow an intensive exercise regimen to help them readjust to life under earth gravity.