NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to Earth on Tuesday (US local time), landing off Florida’s coast in a SpaceX capsule. Their return followed an extended nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) after their planned week-long visit was prolonged due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner craft.
The ISS, orbiting 254 miles (409 km) above Earth, has been a hub for global scientific collaboration for nearly 25 years, primarily managed by the US and Russia.
Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59, both former Navy test pilots, later became NASA astronauts. Wilmore, a Tennessee native, played football in high school and college, while Williams, from Needham, Massachusetts, was a competitive swimmer and distance runner. Wilmore missed much of his younger daughter’s senior year, while Williams stayed in touch with her family through internet calls from space.
Extended space missions pose physical challenges such as muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts affecting vision, and balance readjustment upon returning to gravity. Both astronauts were experienced ISS crew members and underwent refresher training before launch. Williams took on the role of ISS commander three months into their stay, holding the position until earlier this month.
Aboard the ISS, Wilmore and Sunita Williams had a varied diet, including pizza, roast chicken, shrimp cocktails, and tuna, along with breakfast cereal with powdered milk. While fresh fruits and vegetables were initially available, they depleted within three months, after which astronauts relied on packaged or freeze-dried alternatives.
All meat and eggs were pre-cooked on Earth and required only reheating, while dehydrated meals like soups and stews were prepared using water from the ISS’s 530-gallon fresh water tank. The station also recycles urine and sweat into potable water.
Despite concerns about weight loss, NASA medics confirmed it was not due to a food shortage. The ISS stocks approximately 3.8 pounds of food per astronaut per day, ensuring sufficient provisions even for extended missions.
