The two NASA space travelers, Sunita Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore, will be arriving back on Earth on Tuesday from the International Space Station (ISS) after nearly ten months there. Their original return date for Wednesday was shifted forward because weather conditions were improving.
NASA has confirmed that the astronauts will splash down off the coast of Florida at around 5:57 p.m. ET (21:57 GMT). They are riding on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which departed from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. ET on Monday. Joining them on the return leg are fellow American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Wilmore and Williams had originally flown to the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was being certified for its first crewed flight. Since there were propulsion problems with the spacecraft, it was not considered safe to have them return to Earth, thus extending their visit.
In a statement, NASA said the adjustment of the return schedule would provide ISS crew members with extra time for handover activities and allow for flexibility prior to expected adverse weather later in the week.
The home stretch of the astronauts’ return journey will be live-streamed on NASA’s new streaming platform, NASA+, so the public can see them return home at last.
This flight is yet another major step forward for NASA’s continuing attempts at creating and refining new spaceflight technology, specifically in cooperation with private firms such as Boeing and SpaceX. As Wilmore, Williams, and their colleagues are ready for re-entry, all eyes wait anxiously for them to arrive back on solid ground safely.
