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Moment NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and 2 others made splashdown [WATCH]

Statesman News Service

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore, who were stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months, have finally returned to Earth early Wednesday morning.

They were accompanied by astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on their journey back. After a 17-hour return trip from the ISS, the crew safely splashed down in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Florida at approximately 3:27 AM IST.

A video shared by NASA captures the dramatic moment when the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft touched down in the ocean. A recovery boat immediately approached the capsule and conducted initial safety checks.

Following this, a member of the recovery team secured harnesses around the spacecraft, allowing the larger recovery vessel, Meghan, to lift it out of the water using hydraulic systems.

Once the spacecraft was safely on board the vessel, the hatch was opened, and a recovery team member entered to assist the astronauts. One by one, they were carefully unbuckled and helped out of the capsule.

Nick Hague was the first to exit, followed by Aleksandr Gorbunov and finally, Sunita Williams. Butch Wilmore was the last man to come out of the Dragon.

Watch the video below

Williams and Wilmore originally arrived at the ISS in June last year aboard an experimental spacecraft. Their mission was initially scheduled to last just eight days. However, technical issues with their spacecraft forced them to remain aboard the ISS for more than nine months.

Typically, astronauts spend about six months on the ISS, as prolonged exposure to microgravity takes a toll on their health. However, with no available spacecraft ready to bring them back sooner, their short mission turned into an extended 9-month stay in space.

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