The astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have returned to Earth Tuesday aboard the capsule Freedom of Spacex, after being staying More than nine months at the International Space Station (Eii). His return was delayed due to failures in the Boeing ship that transported them last June and who had to bring them back a week later, as expected. The capsule Freedom He reached success by admiring off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 17:57 Est (21:57 GMT), assisted by four parachutes. The landing has passed as expected and was received with applause in the Operations Center.
The capsule deployed its parachutes without inconveniences and touched the water with precision in the designated area, in which a Spacex recovery team and NASA waited to help the crew, to which dolphins were also added. Together with Wilmore and Williams they also arrived Nick Hague and Cosmonout Aleksandr Gorbunov, Those who had traveled in “freedom” in the United States last September with two empty chairs for the two astronauts of the Boeing Starliner Capsule Test, which in June had problems in different helium and Elio losses.
The four crew members successfully reached an immersion in the Florida sea after a trip of about 17 hours since four relays arrived last Friday who allowed the return of today.
The one week plan by Williams and Wilmore has been extended to an adventure of about 285 daysBut far from the record that has the American of Salvadoran Origran Frank Rubio, who accumulated 371 days in the United States between 2022 and 2023, also for a sentence, but of a Russian capsule.
Astronauts can feel “disoriented”
Just as Rubio recovered from the long living room in microgravity, NASA said that Williams and Wilmore do it because astronauts are prepared for this. In a press conference after Amergage, Steve Stich, director of the NASA commercial crew program, indicated that, when they return from space, astronauts can feel Disoriented, dizziness and you have difficulty getting up.
Stich also said that he will spend some time rehabilitating and be examined by a doctor and then meet their families “In the subsequent one or two.” The delay of the nine months was a problem for the scientists and managers of NASA, Boeing and Spacex who have always rejected that astronauts were “blocked”.
Nor were they talking about a “rescue” mission, considering that it is part of the tests that several companies are doing in the NASA commercial program. The trial ship Boeing Starliner, with which this company expected to accumulate points for a certification and compete with Spacex, presented several problems when you get to the orbital laboratory.
Starliner arrived at the beginning of June 2024 in the United States with both Astronauts of NASA and as a precaution he returned to Earth. At the end of last September, the crew-9 started in “freedom” with only two of the four usual astronauts at EEI so that once the six-month mission has finished the usual time, it will return with the Starliner team. After today’s successful immersion, Spacex He hopes to start receiving crews in the Pacific Ocean as a new alternative to Florida.
Loss of bone and muscle mass
Williams and Wilmore, who during the vast mission have carried out various scientific activities, can present the loss of bone and muscle mass, View alterations and changes in the cardiovascular system. However, NASA has implemented a medical and review protocol to mitigate these effects.
With 371 consecutive days, Rubio was Nasa’s astronaut who had more time in space in a single space mission, exceeding Mark Vande Hei, who was 355 days (2021-2022). Rubio’s mission was longer than expected due to a refrigerant loss in the Soyuz MS-22 ship.
Him Record of space in general, however, the Russian Valeri Polyakov has, with 437 days (1994-1995) in the already disconnected Soviet station Mir. Joel Montalbano, vice associate administrator of NASA, has highlighted today “dedication to excellence, resilience and flexibility” both of the crew and the terrestrial teams to obtain a successful expedition.
