Feb 19, Wednesday, 2025: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in space for the past eight months due to technical issues with their spacecraft will return to Earth next month on the 19th.
However, the astronauts could have difficulty readjusting to Earth’s gravity after their return. In an interview with CNN, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore confirmed that NASA’s Crew-10 mission is scheduled to launch from Earth on March 12 and escort them back to Earth.
The Crew-10 mission will traverse NASA astronauts, Anne McClain and Nicole Ayers, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission.
As the Crew-10 arrives, a week-long handover process will take place before Williams, currently the Space Stations Commander, hands over command. The returning astronauts will then board the Dragon spacecraft that brought Crew-10 to space and undock on March 19. Wilmore said in the interview “The plan is that Crew-10 will launch on March 12, do a turnover for a week, and we will return on March 19”
Astarunauts Not Stranded, Not Stuck, Not Abandoned
The NASA astronauts spoke against the claims of Donald Trump and Space X CEO Elon Musk that they were “abandoned’ in space due to delays in their return. Butch Wilmore said that they are not “stranded” in low-Earth orbit abroad in the International Space Station and that they don’t feel “stuck” or “abandoned” either.
“That’s been the rhetoric. That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck — and I get it. We both get it… But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about,” Wilmore said. He added, “Help us change the narrative. Let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed.’ That’s what we prefer.” The astronauts have already spent more than eight months in microgravity in space. Wilmore revealed that gravity would be the biggest challenge for them.
Adapting with Earth’s Atmosphere.
Williams and Wilmore have already spent more than eight months in microgravity in space. Wilmore revealed that gravity would be the biggest challenge for them after they return. “Gravity is really tough, and that’s what we feel when we get back,” Butch Wilmore said. Experiments recently conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) showed that the astronauts could face cartilage degradation due to reduced movement.
“Gravity starts pulling everything to lower extremities; fluids will be pulled down and even lifting a pencil will feel like a workout.” he said. Sunita Williams will reportedly undergo a rigorous rehabilitation program aimed at regaining strength and bone density. Despite the difficulties that might lead, the astronauts are optimistic about their return.
Wilmore and Williams are set to board Space X’s Dragon spacecraft for a ride home.
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