NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore finally returned to Earth after 9 long months in space. Along with them were NASA’s Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who were part of the space agency’s Crew-9.
There were a few tense minutes as the Dragon spacecraft approached the Earth’s atmosphere and entered the exosphere, the topmost layer of the atmosphere. As the spacecraft hurtled towards the Earth through the atmosphere, it experienced a significant drag.
Drogue and main parachutes have deployed pic.twitter.com/X0wiXqFaPt
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 18, 2025
The friction between a spacecraft and the air particles usually generates immense heat, a process called aerothermal heating. This was no different in the case of the SpaceX Dragon. Finally, the spacecraft deployed its parachutes to slow down its descent and splash safely into the water.
There was a seven-minute communications loss due to plasma build-up around the spacecraft.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the four astronauts splashed off the coast of Florida. Check out the video of the splashdown here:
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleks! pic.twitter.com/M4RZ6UYsQ2
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 18, 2025
According to NASA doctors, Williams and Wilmore will need some time to get used to life in gravity. Dr Joe Dervay, one of NASA’s flight surgeons, said the astronauts are in good health.
Although nothing is known about the long-term effects of prolonged exposure to space, astronauts are known to have undergone reversible physical changes even after short durations outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Microgravity can cause changes in the physiology of the astronauts, reported CNN.
Among the various risks that astronauts face due to a prolonged space tour are muscle atrophy and muscle dysfunction as muscle fibre size experiences major reduction. However, astronauts took precautions and engaged in regular workouts in space to stay fit.
The risk of bone mass reduction is also there although extensive research on this is unavailable. Bone mass reduction may even lead to premature osteoporosis. However, it is not yet known if a significant reduction in bone mass is reversible.
