n today’s NASA news, the two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have finally returned to our planet after a long mission that lasted much
more than initially planned. This NASA mission lasted approximately 9 months after the mission was supposed to last just a few days. However, due to a series of problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, they needed to extend the NASA mission.
So, after a long trip on the way back to Earth, Sunita Williams along with Barry Wilmore crash-landed in the water Tuesday at 5:57 p.m. ET in the Gulf of Mexico aboard of SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Their return back home is able to put an end to a tough period for all, because the Boeing Starliner, the spacecraft that sent them to space, experienced different issues, that managed to become a statement in the spaceflight history.
The two experienced NASA astronauts left the Earth in June 2024 aboard the Boeing spacecraft in order to reach Boeing’s goal of maintaining the rivalry with SpaceX. Back in 2014, the company won the contract along with Elon Musk’s SpaceX which was planned to prepare and launch Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore to the International Space Station, also known as ISS.
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The first crewed flight planned in this mission happened in 2020, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was mostly controlled by SpaceX.
After the initial Boeing mission was significantly affected by delays, this flight that happened in June 2024 was considered to bring a serious advantage for Boeing. Initially, this NASA mission was scheduled to end in just a few days, but after various difficulties and problems with the spacecraft, NASA and Boeing decided to send back to Earth only the Starliner without its crew.
So, after significant efforts and long discussions, the NASA company decided to postpone their return back home to 2025. There have been numerous concerns and disapprovals about this serious situation because some rumors stated that there have been multiple attempts to bring Sunita and Barry back home, but every time some issues get involved in the process.
But, it’s important to be focused on today’s NASA news that the two astronauts have returned back home safe with probably plenty of data and information gathered during the International Space Station Mission.
Stay tuned for more updates!
