Sunita Williams Return: The countdown for stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s much-awaited return to Earth has begun. NASA has released the first pictures of the astronauts donning space suits. Meanwhile, ahead of the hatch closure, the two began Cargo Packing. Moments later, they were seen shaking hands, sharing hugs, and fastening their Seat Belts.
In Pictures | Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore
Ahead of their 17-hour-long return journey Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore Take Their Seats.
The crew were seen donning spacesuits ahead of the hatch closing of the Dragon spacecraft.
Ahead of the hatch closure, Astronauts started with cargo packing. Hatch closure is expected at 11:15 p.m. ET, according to NASA.
Crew aboard SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft.
According to NASA, Crew-9’s SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:05 a.m. EST (0505 UTC). After undocking, Crew-9 will splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. EST (2157 UTC), concluding their multi-month mission in low Earth orbit. Nasa’s Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague led the stranded astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov back to Earth inside the Dragon spacecraft.
On Monday, NASA released a detailed plan and schedule for their return aboard the Dragon spacecraft. Last Sunday, March 16 at 1.35 am ET, four crew members aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission successfully reached the International Space Station. As they entered the hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, they were welcomed by stranded NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. The astronauts docked with the ISS are Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov
