Washington: Two NASA astronauts have returned to Earth after an unexpected nine-month stay in space, and probably landed off the coast of Florida in a SpaceX capsule after a mission intended to last only for a few days but turned into a long-term test due to technical problems.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon Spaceship that carries Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – along with colleague -American Nick Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – stabbed through the atmosphere, before the inmates parachute for a gentle splash on the Florida coast at. 17:57 (2157 GMT).

Earth team broke out in cheer when the gum -drop -shaped spacecraft, called Freedom, charred from opposing burning temperatures of 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius) during re -travel, bobbet steadily on the waves under a clear, sunny sky.

Quick boats drove to the capsule of initial security check, soon followed by a recovery vessel that would pick up the crew before being flown to Houston to start a 45-day rehabilitation program.

“What trip – I see a capsule full of friends here,” Hague said.

The quartet left International Space Station about 17 hours earlier after exchanging the final goodbye and hugs with the remaining crew members.

Wilmore and Williams, both ex-Navy pilots and veterans from two prior space missions, flew to Orbital Lab last year on what was supposed to be a day-long tour trip to test Boeing’s Starliner on his first crew flight.

But the spaceship developed propulsion problems and was considered unfit to fly them back instead of returning empty.

They were then awarded to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which arrived in the ISS last September with a reduced crew of two-snares than the usual four-to accommodate the couple who had been widely referred to as the “stranded” astronauts.

Early Sunday, an auxiliary team called Crew-10 with the station ducked and paved the way for the Crew-9 team to travel.

‘Incredible resilience’

Wilmore and Williams’ 286-day stay exceeds the usual six-month ISS rotation, but only ranks sixth among US items for one-mission.

Frank Rubio has the top location of 371 days in 2023, while the world record remains with Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 consecutive days aboard the MIR station.

It makes it “couple for the course” with regard to health risks, according to Rihana Bokhari of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Challenges such as muscle and bone loss, fluid change that can lead to kidney stones and vision problems, and the adjustment of balance when returning to a gravity environment, are well understood and effectively controlled.

“People like Suni Williams are actually known for their interest in training, which is why I think she is exercising beyond what is even her normal prescription,” Bokhari told AFP.

Still, the unexpected nature of their extended stay – away from their families and originally without enough packed supplies – has drawn general interest and sympathy.

“If you found out that you went to work today and should be stuck in your office for the next nine months, you might have a panic attack,” Joseph Keebler, a psychologist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AFP.

“These individuals have shown incredible resilience.”

Trump weighs in

Their unexpected stint also became a political lightning rod in which former President Donald Trump and his close adviser, Elon Musk – who lead Spacex – and repeatedly suggested that President Joe Biden gave up the astronauts and refused a former rescue plan.

Such accusations have led to a scream in the space community, especially when Musk did not offer any details, and NASA’s plan for the return of astronauts has remained largely unchanged since their crew-9 redistribution.

Trump has also drawn attention to his bisarian remarks and refers to Williams, a former Navy captain who has the American record for the second longest cumulative time in the room, as “the woman with the wild hair” and speculates in the personal dynamic between the two.

“They’ve been left up there – I hope they like each other, maybe they love each other, I don’t know,” he said during a recent press conference in the White House.