Astronauts stranded on ISS for 9 months to return to Earth on Tuesday - NASA
Kyiv • UNN
American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are stranded on the ISS, will return to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon ship. Their mission has been delayed due to problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
A pair of American astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for more than nine months will be returned to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA said, UNN reports, citing AFP.
Details
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to be brought home along with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which arrived at the ISS early Sunday.
The duo has been on the ISS since June after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing during its first manned flight experienced engine problems and was deemed unfit to return to Earth.
In a statement on Sunday evening, NASA said the astronauts' predicted ocean landing off the coast of Florida has been moved to approximately 5:57 p.m. on Tuesday (21:57 GMT). It was originally scheduled for no earlier than Wednesday.
"The updated return target continues to give space station crew members time to complete the transfer of duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected later this week," the space agency said.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will also return on the Dragon capsule, and the journey will be broadcast live from Monday evening when preparations for the hatch closing begin.
Addition
For Wilmore and Williams, this will mark the end of a difficult ordeal that has left them stranded for nine months after what was supposed to be a few-day trip back and forth.
Their extended stay was significantly longer than the standard ISS rotation for astronauts, which is approximately six months.
But it's far less than the American space record of 371 days set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio aboard the ISS in 2023, or the world record of Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days aboard the Mir space station.
Nevertheless, the unexpected nature of their prolonged stay away from their families - they had to get extra clothes and personal care products because they didn't pack enough - sparked interest and sympathy.
