NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been stranded in space for nine months, far exceeding their original mission timeline.
They had planned only a short mission on the International Space Station (ISS) but spent additional time there after Boeing’s spacecraft encountered safety issues preventing their homebound journey.
SpaceX Falcon 9 became one of the candidate vehicles along with other alternatives to retrieve the astronauts after their safety concerns delayed Boeing’s spacecraft.
The astronauts’ Earth landing became official as launch operations are forthcoming during the upcoming days.
A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft completed its docking operation to the ISS at 12:04 a.m. EDT when the station flew 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
The Crew-10 astronauts including Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers and Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov entered the ISS through opened hatches at 1:35 a.m. EDT to meet their existing ISS crew members.
The ISS welcomed its newest crew members through Expedition 72 crew which consisted of NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Don Petitt and NASA astronaut and ISS Commanders Jeanette Epps and Doug Hurley.
The group also included Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.
Williams and Wilmore managed to adjust to their ISS lifestyle by performing scientific research tasks and maintenance duties until their return to Earth.
The long duration of their stay on the ISS required them to prove their endurance but they worked hard with other astronauts who accomplished more than 150 experiments along with equipment maintenance tasks.
The uncertainty of their mission extension did not stop them from staying connected with loved ones and performing routine exercises for protecting against weightlessness issues.
The extended mission highlighted that space travel is unpredictable hence why backup strategies need to exist.
The arrival of Crew-10 marked a major step toward their long-awaited return.
Both the crew that arrived with Crew-10 and the current residents of the ISS used their transition period to perform a seamless transfer of responsibilities.
During their prolonged time in space Williams and Wilmore offered recollections from their stay and got ready to use the SpaceX Dragon capsule for their flight home to Earth.
According to the decision-makers the mission was scheduled to end on March 18, 2025.
During the final station preparations the ISS feed received viewership from live spectators when something bizarre occurred.
A figure resembling an “alien” was spotted floating inside the station just as Crew-10 was preparing to dock.
Social media users created numerous posts speculating about alien life forms present in space before anyone revealed the truth about the facts.
The actual explanation for the strange spotting proved to be much funnier than causes for concern.
The crew commander Nick Hague revealed he had placed a gray alien mask on his face to entertain Crew-10 while they approached the International Space Station.
Hague used a black hoodie and his floating position to create amusement during the standard station docking operations.
Netizens who watched the video applauded the crew members because they showed great humor through their space travel challenges.
The user expressed their reaction with “That would be trippy!” in a Twitter post. I would’ve laughed so hard,” while another commented, “Funny and fitting—space missions need some humor too!”
The live stream documented the space station crew members performing their warm embrace while suspended in weightlessness which signaled the start of their official mission.
Anne McClain, speaking on behalf of Crew-10, expressed their excitement, stating, “Crew-10 has had a great journey up here, and I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out the window and saw the space station for the first time.”
Next to returning home Williams and Wilmore left behind a mission that demonstrates how human stamina blends with joint space agency work.
The astronauts demonstrated their ability to withstand and adapt to long duration spaceflight as they spent additional time in orbit which had not been predicted.
The astronauts eagerly anticipate coming back home as their safe return draws near and they yearn to embrace their family then walk on solid earth once more.
In the end, the ‘alien’ encounter turned out to be nothing more than a joke, but it served as a reminder of the camaraderie and humor that sustain astronauts in the most extraordinary environments.
Feature Image Credit: (NASA) and (Youtube/Business Standard)