On March 18th, 2025, history was made for the NASA community. On this date, two astronauts returned home to Earth after a tedious trip. To many, this seems like a normal space trip back home. But not for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
According to The New York Times, Butch Wilmore was 62 years of age during this event. Wilmore, a Tennessee native, was originally a Navy test pilot. During 2000, he was selected to be a NASA astronaut. Fifty-nine year old Suni Williams was also a Navy test pilot like Wilmore. Williams was born in Ohio and grew up in Massachusetts. She was selected to be an astronaut for NASA in 1998.
Both Williams and Wilmore have a long list of hours in space. Wilmore spent months in the International Space Station from September 2015 to March 2015. Whilst, (before the recent nine month trip) Williams had spent 322 days in space and been on two long term missions, according to The New York Times.
Both Williams and Wilmore, with their accomplishments and experience, were chosen to go on another mission during June 2024. They were chosen to test out Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. The estimated time of space travel was originally around a week. However, there were many problems with this new ship. To ensure safety, both astronauts were emptied into a SpaceX ship, while the capsule returned back to earth. Slowly, time passed and both Wilmore and Williams were still stuck in space. Estimated arrival back to Earth for these explorers was originally February 2025. But, their arrival was pushed back another month because of issues pertaining to SpaceX ships, according to the Associated Press. Finally, after 286 days in space, both Wilmore and Williams began their descent to Earth. According to The New York Times, Once the space travelers had splashed down into the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast, they were greeted with a pod of gorgeous dolphins. This created a very warm welcome back for these rangers.
This trip added many days to these astronauts’ records, giving Williams a wealth of 608 days in space. This record is the second largest record for a woman.
Because of these astronauts’ extra prolonged experience, and heavily positive attitudes, President Donald Trump had vowed to help out the astronauts with overtime pay, according to Fox News.
After their landing, both Williams and Wilmore were carried on stretchers for routine health checks. They were reunited with their families and friends. Thankfully, both astronauts are safely home.
