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Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore finally return to earth

  • NASA and SpaceX’s joint space mission succeeded

  • In 9 months, they travelled a distance greater than that between the Earth and the Sun !
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams

Washington D.C (United States) – After spending 9 months (286 days) in space due to technical issues with their spacecraft, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally returned to Earth. They safely landed near the Florida coast on March 19 at 3.30 AM IST. Originally, the mission was planned for just 8 days, but technical malfunctions extended their stay in space to 286 days. NASA has released a video capturing the moment of their return to Earth.

During their extended mission, the astronauts orbited the Earth 4,576 times and travelled nearly 195 million kilometers before landing safely. This distance exceeds the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is approximately 150 million kilometers.

1. Continuous efforts were made to bring them back. At one point, there were doubts about whether they would return alive. However, with the initiative of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and the cooperation of NASA, the mission was successfully completed.

2. After a meeting between NASA and SpaceX engineers to assess Florida’s weather conditions, a decision was taken to begin the return journey a day earlier. Once the astronauts departed from the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX capsule, they safely landed in the Gulf of Mexico within a few hours.

Elon Musk accuses Joe Biden

While speaking to Fox News about the mission’s success, SpaceX CEO and Chief Engineer Elon Musk stated, “I had sought approval from the Biden administration to plan this mission, but they didn’t prioritise it. Otherwise the two astronauts could have returned to Earth months ago. It is only because Trump prioritized this mission that we are witnessing this moment today.”

To Undergo a 45-Day ‘Acclimatization Program’

(Acclimatization is a process that helps an individual adapt to a new environment. Factors like humidity, gravity, and temperature are considered in this process.)

After spending nine months in an entirely different atmosphere, the two astronauts will undergo a 45-day acclimatization program to help their bodies recover from the physical strain. Only after completing this program will they be able to return to a normal lifestyle. Prolonged exposure to space conditions leads to significant changes in the human body, including muscle loss, altered bone density, and physiological adaptations to microgravity. This program is designed to restore their bodily functions and help them readjust to Earth’s gravity and environmental conditions.

During these 45 days, they will receive specialized medical care and rehabilitation to gradually adapt to Earth’s gravitational pull, ensuring their physical systems function normally again.

Thousands of Kilograms of Ghee Offered in Yagna for Sunita Williams’ Safe Return

Sunita Williams native village, Zulasan in Gujarat, is home to her family. When she was stranded in space, concern spread throughout the village, and her relatives, along with the entire community, prayed for her safe return. To seek divine blessings, her cousin, Dinesh Rawal, organized a yagna (sacred ritual). He shared, “We began praying to our village deity, Vardai Devi, and offered thousands of kilograms of ghee. A yagna was performed with the students of Raghunath School. Today feels like a golden day for us.”

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