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Splash down: dolphins greet returning Nasa astronauts
The Independent
|March 20, 2025
Unexpected nine additional months in space come to an end
Following an unexpected nine additional months on board the International Space Station, Nasa astronauts Sunita Suni” Williams and Barry Butch” Wilmore finally splashed down off the coast of Florida.
The former navy captains returned home in a SpaceX Dragon craft alongside Crew-9 mission members Nick Hague and Russian Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The astronauts undocked from the orbiting laboratory at 1.05am US Eastern time and hit Gulf Coast waters at 5.57pm. They started their re-entry – which can be one of the most dangerous parts of space travel – at around 5.10pm.
Dolphins circled the capsule as divers readied it to be hoisted onto the recovery ship. When it was safely on board, the side hatch was opened and the astronauts were helped out one by one. Williams was second-last out, followed by Wilmore, who gave a thumbs-up.
This story is from the March 20, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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