NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to Earth after a nine-month stay in space.
Gatekeepers News reports that their SpaceX capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the end of a mission that was initially supposed to last only eight days.
“The crew’s doing great,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The astronauts’ journey home took 17 hours, and they were helped out of the capsule and onto a stretcher, standard practice after prolonged weightlessness. They will undergo medical checks and reunite with their families.
“It is awesome to have crew 9 home, just a beautiful landing,” said Joel Montalbano, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “SpaceX has been a great partner.”
During their extended stay, Wilmore and Williams conducted experiments, spacewalks, and broke records. Suni Williams became the woman with the most hours spent outside the space station.
As they readjust to life on Earth, they will undergo an extensive exercise regime to counteract the effects of long-duration spaceflight.
“Your body feels great, it feels like a holiday,” said British astronaut Tim Peake. “But you must keep up the exercise regime… for when you return back to the punishing gravity environment of Earth.”
