NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are ready to come back to Earth after spending nine months at the International Space Station (ISS). They planned to stay for just eight days, but their return was delayed because their Boeing Starliner capsule had problems and couldn’t take them home.
To bring them back safely, NASA used help from SpaceX, a company owned by Elon Musk. SpaceX sent its Crew Dragon capsule to rescue them. Sunita and Butch are now set to leave the ISS at 1:05 am ET (10:35 am IST) and will begin their 17-hour journey back home. They are expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico at 5:57 pm ET on Tuesday (3:27 am IST on Wednesday). The exact landing spot will depend on the weather.
After they land, they will go to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for some medical checks. It’s important for astronauts to get checked because living in space can cause health problems like weak bones and muscles, vision issues, and even loneliness.
Originally, they were supposed to return on Wednesday night, but NASA delayed their trip because of bad weather. You can watch their return live on NASA’s stream starting at 10:45 pm EST on Monday, when they will prepare to close the hatch.
Meanwhile, the longest time anyone has spent in space is 371 days by Frank Rubio in 2023. The world record is still held by Russia’s Valeri Polyakov, who lived in space for an amazing 437 days between 1994 and 1995.
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