NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have been stranded in space for the past nine months. However, they are now preparing to return to Earth later this month. Before they can leave, they must wait for their replacements to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to happen next week.

Wilmore and Williams were supposed to stay in space for just one week when they launched in June last year. They travelled in Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, which was carrying astronauts for the first time after many delays. However, things did not go as planned. The Starliner had technical problems, and NASA decided it was not safe to bring them back in the same spacecraft. Because of this, the capsule returned to Earth without them, and they had to stay at the International Space Station (ISS) much longer than expected.

NASA had to delay Wilmore and Williams' return even more because they were preparing a new SpaceX capsule to bring their replacements. However, last month, NASA changed its plan and decided to use an old SpaceX capsule instead of a new one. The replacement crew is now set to launch on March 12. Once they reach the space station, Wilmore and Williams will stay with them for about a week before finally returning to Earth with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

Mixed emotions about returning home

During a recent press conference, Wilmore and Williams shared their thoughts about returning home. They both expressed excitement about seeing their families again but also reflected on how much they would miss space.

When asked what she would miss the most, Williams said, “Everything about space. This has been Butch's and my third flight to the ISS. We helped put it together; we have been up here watching it change.” She talked about how much she enjoyed living and working in space and added, “Just living here gives us a unique perspective—not just outside the window, obviously—but on how to solve problems. I don’t want to lose that spark of inspiration and perspective when I leave, so I am going to have to bottle it up somehow.”

Williams also said she is looking forward to seeing her Labrador retrievers again. She admitted that the hardest part of being in space for so long was waiting to reunite with their families. “It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,” she said.

Wilmore, on the other hand, joked about how being in space makes body aches and pains disappear. He also shared that one of the most important tasks during the mission was helping someone get into a spacewalk suit. He said his proudest moment was when he opened the hatch and safely brought the astronaut back inside after the spacewalk.

A long-awaited journey back to earth

Wilmore and Williams' return has been long overdue due to the unexpected challenges faced by the Starliner capsule. Now that their replacements are set to arrive soon, their homecoming is finally within reach. Once they return, NASA will continue evaluating the Starliner’s issues before deciding on its future missions.

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