SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which will be NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s ride back to Earth after being stuck in space for over 3 months, arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday (ET), Space X CEO Elon Musk confirmed in an X post, formerly Twitter.
Williams and Wilmore have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since June this year after safety concerns grounded their Boeing spacecraft. However, despite Space X’s Crew-9 rescue mission launch, neither astronaut is expected to come back to Earth before February of next year.
What Went Wrong With Sunita William’s 10-day Space Mission?
The two NASA astronauts, who set off on an ambitious space mission that required them to stay in space for just 8 days turned into no less than a nightmare for Williams and Wilmore due to safety concerns with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
The spacecraft went through a range of technical glitches such as helium leaks and propulsion issues, which could make their return to Earth unpredictable and dangerous.
Earlier this month, the Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this month, landing safely in the New Mexico desert.
Why Was Extended Space Stay Exceptionally Hard on Sunita Williams?
NASA astronaut and now the ISS Commander Sunita Williams, faced some unusual health risks during her extended stay at the space station making her time exceptionally harder.
The astronaut is also going through a loss in the body bone density due to her extended stay in the space environment. Notably, in the microgravity environment of space, bones do not bear the same weight they do on Earth, leading to a loss of bone tissue.
For astronauts like Sunita Williams, this can mean losing up to 1.5% of bone density per month, particularly in weight-bearing bones like the vertebrae, hips, and femurs, media reports stated.
Both Williams and Wilmore also pose health risks due to constant and long exposure to radiation in the space. Despite the harsh conditions, Wilmore and Williams, both seasoned NASA astronauts, are actively participating in routine maintenance and scientific experiments on the ISS.
Sunita Williams Return to Earth: SpaceX Crew-9 Rescue Mission
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, part of the Crew-9 mission, was launched on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is carrying NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.
As per the video released by NASA, Sunita Williams welcomed the new arrivals, saying, “I just want to say welcome to our new compadres.”
