Mohammad Hanief
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to Earth on March 19 after spending over nine months in space due to delays in the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission. Their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Freedom, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee, Florida, concluding a mission that garnered global attention.
Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, along with her colleague Butch Wilmore, safely returned to Earth on Wednesday after an unexpected 286-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially planned as a short 8-day flight, their mission was extended to 9 months due to technical issues with their spacecraft. Despite the challenges, Williams and Wilmore demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying them touched down off the Florida coast at 3.30 am on Wednesday.
The astronaut, who went on an eight-day mission to space with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, was forced the stay in zero gravity for nine months after the Starliner spacecraft she piloted to space developed multiple technical faults.
What seemed to be a quick test certification flight, a process Sunita had been familiar with thanks to her test pilot days in the US Navy, turned into a long stay filled with new adventures, record-shattering spacewalk and a political slugfest.The astronauts, part of the Crew-9 mission, ended their spaceflight as they splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean having braved the challenging re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.
Williams and Wilmore, both former Navy pilots, had flown to the orbital lab on June 5 last year on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission and the first crewed flight of a Boeing Starliner. They were left stranded after the Starliner capsule suffered propulsion issues. Deemed unfit to fly, it returned uncrewed in September.
Amid uncertainty over their return journey, NASA reassigned them to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, and a Dragon spacecraft was sent in September with a two-member crew, instead of the usual four, to make space for the stranded astronauts.
Bone and muscle deterioration, radiation exposure, and vision impairment are some of the challenges space travellers have to face upon their return to Earth after a prolonged stay.Muscles, usually activated by simply moving around on Earth, also weaken because they no longer need to work as hard.
The lack of gravity causes significant and often irreparable, bone density loss. As per NASA, for every month in space, astronauts’ weight-bearing bones become roughly one per cent less dense if they don’t take precautions to counter this loss.
One of the most dangerous impacts of spending time in space is radiation exposure. While Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field shield humans from high levels of radiation, such protection is not available for astronauts.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard the Boeing Starliner on June 5, 2024, as part of its first crewed mission. The plan was to test the spacecraft for an eight-day mission before returning to Earth. However, shortly after docking at the ISS, NASA detected several technical issues with the Starliner, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions.
A recent image of Williams looking thinner also raised health concerns, but she reassured the public that this was due to fluid shift-a common effect of microgravity where bodily fluids move upwards, changing facial appearance. She also emphasized that she has been exercising regularly to maintain muscle strength.
The decision follows US President Donald Trump’s abrupt demand to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk last month to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth “as soon as possible,” pleading for an end to their mission that in large part had already been decided on last year.
SpaceX developed its Crew Dragon capsule with roughly $3 billion in funding from Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to entrust companies with spaceflight with the hopes of stimulating a private market and bringing costs down.
Within just an hour of their landing, both astronauts exited the capsule, smiled and waved at the cameras. Despite the lengthy mission, their spirits appeared high as they were escorted away in reclining stretchers for standard post-flight medical check-ups.
From maintaining and cleaning the massive, football field-sized station to replacing old hardware, Williams played a hands-on role in keeping the ISS running smoothly. Alongside her team, she also said to have carried out several scientific experiments and contributed significantly to ongoing research.
According to NASA, Williams and her team logged an impressive 900 hours of scientific research. Throughout their extended mission, they conducted more than 150 experiments. Williams also set a new benchmark as she became the woman to spend the maximum time in space. One of the highlights of her time aboard the ISS was her record-setting 62 hours and 9 minutes of spacewalks spread across 9 excursions outside the station.
Williams contributed to several high-impact research projects, including studies on how microgravity influences fluid systems in space. She also worked on developing new reactors for water recovery and fuel cells – technology that could be crucial for future long-duration missions, as per NASA. One of the most promising initiatives she participated in was the BioNutrients project. This research explores how beneficial bacteria can be used to produce fresh nutrients for astronauts, a step that could transform how spacefarers get essential vitamins and minerals during long stays away from Earth.
Williams, capping her third spaceflight, has tallied 608 cumulative days in space, the second most for any U.S. astronaut after Peggy Whitson’s 675 days. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko set the world record last year at 878 cumulative days.
