‘Stranded' astronauts BACK DOWN TO EARTH

RETURNING HOME AFTER NINE LONG MONTHS IN ORBIT, WHERE DO THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS SPACE PAIR GO FROM HERE?

- Nikita Lee

An eight-day work trip that takes an unexpected turn and instead stretches into 286 straight days sounds like a complete nightmare for most people. But for NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, it’s all part of their space gig – a vocation that demands flexibilty and sacrifice unlike any other.

The pair have sparked global interest ever since they became ‘stranded’ in orbit in June last year, their intended test-run on the Boeing Starliner turning into a long stay at the International Space Station (ISS) after technical issues – including helium leaks and engine problems – deemed the vessel unsafe.

On March 18, after nine months away from family and friends, Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 62, made the 17-hour journey back to Earth on board the SpaceX Dragon, landing in waters off the coast of Florida.

“It’s been a roller-coaster for them, probably a little more so than for us,” Williams said of their families in a press conference from space. “We came up prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short. That's what we do in human space flight.”