NASA’s two astronauts stuck in space are heading back to Earth on Tuesday with SpaceX following more than nine months in space after a bungled Boeing test flight. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said goodbye to the International Space Station, where they’ve been since last spring, and boarded a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts.
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FunTranscript
00:00Progress. Outside of Dragon, you do see one of those stretchers. This is the expected procedure
00:05as the crew will be taken to medical facilities following their exit from Dragon.
00:30We can see folks on board clapping as our first crew member.
00:38And that is NASA astronaut Nick Haig, commander of Crew-9.
00:45Now out of Crew Dragon Freedom.
00:50Some smiles, thumbs up, and a wave. Can't get any better than that.
00:53Yeah, that is one happy camper, that's for sure.
00:56As we said before, it is standard procedure for all of our long duration crew members
01:04to receive assistance upon egressing from the spacecraft. We basically help them move
01:11off of the recovery deck and into the private medical quarters for their
01:16initial consultation with the SpaceX flight surgeon.
01:20So we'll see that take place for all four of our crew members today.
01:26And we are standing by for the next crew member to exit Freedom.
01:56So
02:26next step out of the capsule, we expect Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov's
02:38first spaceflight. Spent 171 days in space alongside NASA astronaut Nick Haig.
02:46Looks like we're getting some cheers and clapping on board as Alexander is slid down the little
02:55ramp and placed into the mobility aid. Once again, big smile.
03:14Now the two crew members remaining in Dragon are NASA astronaut Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore.
03:28They completed 286 days in space.
03:34One of the remaining footrests being removed from the Dragon spacecraft.
03:44So
03:54as I said before, we generally try to have the crew members that are located in the two center
04:02seats aboard Dragon. We like to have them egress first if possible as it creates a little bit more
04:10movable working room inside the spacecraft. There is a recovery crew member inside that
04:17is helping all of our crew nine crew egress or exit from the spacecraft.
04:40So
04:49we are standing by for the next crew member to egress or exit
04:53Crew Dragon Freedom following the splashdown not even an hour ago at 2 57 p.m. Pacific time.
05:11We really have the recovery operations down pretty quick at this point. Yeah, it's pretty incredible
05:16to think that just five years ago when we were doing the initial demonstration missions of
05:25the Dragon for Crew Dragon that now we're under about 30 minutes to retrieve the spacecraft
05:35from the water and just several minutes here while it's been on board and to get everyone
05:40really to get that side hatch open.
05:50For those of you that have just recently joined the Dragon had an on-time splashdown. It looks
05:57like we're getting our next crew member here that is none other than Sonny Williams. Big smile,
06:04big waves. She like her other crew members now will be assisted on to the mobility aid.
06:24There we have it. Some waves, some thumbs up and some smiles.
06:28Definitely seems to be a theme among all recovery operations.
06:34Absolutely and of course that leaves NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore inside Dragon in seat four.
06:43We're getting some views of him now as he egresses or exits the spacecraft.
07:14Once again some elation and cheers there from Butch Wilmore. As we mentioned before returning
07:22to Earth from coming from a microgravity environment can wreak havoc on the body. So
07:29it is customary and just standard procedure for all of our long-term space residents to
07:36get assistance once they are back on board the recovery vessel.
07:44Well now that Nick, Butch, Sonny, and Alexander are safely back home on Earth and getting checked
07:52out by the NASA medical team we're going to wrap up our live coverage of their return.