In June, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore took to space in June, planning to stay for just a week on the International Space Station. The pair were the first crew to take flight on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, but due to complications with the ship, Williams and Wilmore ended up spending more than nine months in orbit.
Due to complications with the ship’s vehicle thrusters during docking at the space station, NASA ruled that it was too dangerous to carry anyone back on the ship. In September, the spacecraft was finally brought back to Earth without any complications.
The pair was able to depart form the International Space Station with two astronauts who had been sent on a mission in September. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov were sent to the Space Station in a SpaceX capsule with two empty seats reserved for Williams and Wilmore. This group of astronauts has been given the name Space.
Finally, the capsule splashed down off of the coast of Tallahassee at 5:57 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18. Being in happy spirits, dolphins circled the capsule while divers readied it to be transported to the rescue ship.
The four seemed to be in good health and good spirits as they exited the capsule. While in space, Willams was able to set a record: the most time spent spacewalking over a career among female astronauts.