Boeing Starliner Crew Safely Splashes Down in SpaceX Dragon Crew Capsule
SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule and were greeted by dolphins and many happy to see Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back on Earth.
Score another success for SpaceX!
I happy to report that NASA astronauts who made up the Starliner crew, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, safely returned to Earth on Tuesday afternoon, after spending nearly months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
They landed in the Gulf of America.
Butch Wilmore, 62, and 59-year-old Suni Williams splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Fla., just before 6 p.m. EST Tuesday, concluding a 17-hour return journey from the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule.
Their triumphant homecoming came a baffling 278 days behind schedule — when they first arrived at the ISS in June 2024, they were scheduled to stay for just about 10 days.
But a malfunction from their Boeing-made return capsule stranded them in space, while numerous delays and political bickering left Wilmore and Williams in orbit for 286 days.
With much relief from the watching world, their escape craft finally parachuted into the balmy Gulf of America waters without a hitch after soaring through the clear daylight skies over Central America en route to the Florida coast.
The returning astronauts, which included NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, were greeted by dolphins as well has SpaceX followers across the world eager to see the Starliner crew return to Earth.
Right now: Dolphins are greeting the SpaceX Dragon that just splashed down in the Gulf of America. pic.twitter.com/TMiQjTd6ev
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) March 18, 2025
This landing marked the completion of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, with Hague and Gorbunov spending 171 days in space, while Williams and Wilmore had been there for 286 days.
Teams on the SpaceX recovery ship, including two fast boats, are securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for recovery. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck with the Crew-9 crew members inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will exit the spacecraft and undergo medical checks before a short helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
@NASA_Astronauts @SpaceX We're getting our first look at #Crew9 since their return to Earth! Recovery teams will now help the crew out of Dragon, a standard process for all crew members after returning from long-duration missions. pic.twitter.com/aI3Dfgt07M
— TheQuinQuagStudent (@QuinQuagStudent) March 18, 2025
As I noted in an earlier post, it will take the astronauts some time to recover from their extended stay in space.
Following an initial health assessment, the four astronauts will be flown to their crew quarters at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for several more days of routine health checks.
If they are given the all-clear by NASA’s flight surgeons, they will be able to go home to their families, who have been missing them for the last 286 days.
Although they have completed their 17-hour journey back to Earth, the astronauts now face a grueling road to recovery.
Between low gravity and extreme levels of space radiation, living on the ISS takes a serious toll on the human body. Health experts told DailyMail.com that when Williams and Wilmore emerge from the spacecraft, they won’t even be able to walk.
But it looks like they may all be back with their families to enjoy Easter, by the grace of God, SpaceX technology and teamwork.
Of course, much has changed since the Starliner team docked on the ISS.
"What did I miss?"
"Well Trump is President again and everyone is calling the guy who rescued you a Nazi." pic.twitter.com/r5iJPnrQjv
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 18, 2025
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https://babylonbee.com/news/judge-orders-astronauts-be-returned-to-space-station
“I am happy to report that NASA astronauts who made up the Starliner crew, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, safely returned to Earth.”
They went up Democrats and returned Republicans.
So true lol
I wish fuzzy was here, don’t know what happened to her, you and her would be priceless
I’ve been wondering about fuzzy too.
🤗
DEI has destroyed everything it touches, including our space program.
If it wasn’t for folks like Musk and Trump we would still be hitchin rides with the Russkies to get into space.
Biden’s puppeteers are a national disgrace and need to be investigated for forgery of government documents. A Class B felony for starters.
They were the ones who stranded the astronauts.
Leftist/Dhimmi-crat media organs are predictably and contemptibly doing their utmost to downplay or ignore the story, because it reflects positively upon Musk and #47.
What a freaking shame
These reprobates can’t even take joy in a truly positive and laudable accomplishment. It was the same thing with their frosty reception/ignoring/downplaying of the Abraham Accords. These wretched snakes couldn’t even summon a scintilla of praise for an undeniable foreign policy achievement, in service of peace and cooperation in a strife-torn region of the world.
Hate is all that Dhimmi-crats/leftists have to offer.
Shouldn’t say this, but I wonder how many Dimm/Libs were secretly hoping for a disastrous outcome; just so they could freely condemn Elon Musk & President Trump & say ‘I told you so!!’
Bluesky was full of that sort of rancid nonsense.
Interesting… I lived in Tallahassee for 5 years and there is no coast to land off of unless you count Lake Bradford.
Musk can land a heavy booster on a pair of “chopsticks,” I’m sure he could land a Dragon capsule on your lake!
Should have said “off the coast of Alligator Point.”
Meanwhile what is left of Boeing’s workforce is looking for the exit.
I’m sure all of the old NASA hands still alive from the Gemini/Mercury/Apollo days are shaking their heads in disgust, wondering ‘WTH is going on @ NASA? & ‘That (Boeing debacle) wouldn’t have happened during the ‘Can Do’ Attitude’ Glory Days of NASA.’ (w/the exception of Apollo One).
Those that are dead are simply spinning in their graves (on top of their heads) over the same thing.
I’m close to people on the inside. The only thing keeping them there is that the overall white collar job market sucks big time right now. Especially in IT/tech.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is flat out lying.
We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.
–Robert A Heinlein
What was really cool was the pod of dolphins, they kept circling the capsule welcoming the astronauts back
You just know, some time back in time, when we crawled out of the ocean, some stayed back…
Happy people make leftists froth. You should have seen some of the unhinged ranting about the dolphins and the prompt conspiracy theories about them being captives trained to frolic for a photo op and secretly transported to the site.
Overtime pay is going to be sweet for them.
White collar workers don’t get overtime pay.
They get travel & lodging compensation, though. Sweet.
Wonder what their ‘Per Diem’ will be?
Two more valuable high performing people have been severely by American political deplorables,
62 and 59, wow! Rock on! So glad they’re home with the rest of us earthlings.
I’d never before watched the Dragon recovery procedures after splashdown.
Everyone on the fast boats, the recovery ship, and especially the rigger who climbs up the side of the spacecraft to set up the harness to lift it into the “nest” were awesome to watch.
Very methodical, and with a precision that only comes from hard training and repetition. Musk knows how to pick the right people.
Beats tasking and aircraft carrier and its supporting ships as was used to be done.
welcome back!!!
but were they allowed a mail in ballot!!??
That evil and mean Elon Musk comes to the rescue again. Drat!