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Astronauts finally head home after unexpected nine-month ISS stay
FMM - F24 Video Clips / VideoElephant
The two NASA astronauts stuck in space are finally heading back down to Earth after being stuck today (18 March).
Initially, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were only supposed to be on a week-long mission after being launched into space on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on June 5.
But things went awry when trying to dock at the International Space Station which meant NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty in September due to safety concerns and so, their return flight home was delayed a number of times.
Now, the pair are expected to return back home today (March 18) after boarding a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts and it's anticipated they will splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, AP reported.
Given that they've been away for over nine months, there are several key moments the astronauts have missed out on - here's a round-up of some of the things they weren't on Earth for...
Paris Olympics
The Olympic Games only come around every four years, and so when they came to Paris last summer, the two astronauts were in the early days of being stuck up in space.
While they might have missed the sporting action on Earth, that didn't mean they didn't have their own fun as the two along with the four astronauts with them inside the ISS had their very own Games.
Wilmore's contribution included throwing a shotput made of what appeared to be duct tape, while Sunita Williams performed a pommel horse routine in the weightless environment.
Trump assassination attempt
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. Donald Trump was hit in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally on Saturday, in a chaotic and shocking incident that will fuel fears of instability ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. The 78-year-old former president was rushed off stage with blood smeared across his face after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the gunman and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured. Photo by REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images
One of the biggest stories of the past year was the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign in July, where blood could be seen on his face from his right ear being wounded as Secret Service agents took him off the stage to safety.
Brat Summer
Charli XCX performs onstage during the 67th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Charli XCX released her album brat on June 7 last year, just two days after Wilmore and Williams left for the initial mission, so the astronauts have been stuck up in space pretty much the whole time "Brat" and "Brat Summer" became a trend.
The question is... did they listen to it up in the ISS?
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is often spent with friends and family but unfortunately for Wilmore and Williams, being stuck in space meant that this wasn't possible as they celebrated the holiday from the ISS instead.
The crew revealed what they ate during Thanksgiving, this included butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, apples and spice, and smokey turkey (space-friendly, of course).
Trump being elected as president
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
By the time the presidential election rolled around in November last year, the two astronauts were still stuck in space but this didn't stop them from casting their ballots while in orbit.
“It’s a very important duty that we have as citizens and looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool,” Williams said back in September.
Since being in office, President Trump has renamed the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America", shared that he wants Canada to become a 51st state, started a trade war with neighbouring countries such as Mexico and Canada, introduced the Department of Government Efficiency (with the help of Elon Musk), had a showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, just to name a few things...
Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl and Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, and Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Last month, the Super Bowl LIX took place where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the end.
But it was Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance that grabbed headlines as he performed his hit song "Not Like Us" which is a diss track about Drake as the two rappers were in a feud back and forth last year.
(The whole beef between Lamar and Drake started to escalate around April-May time before the two astronauts were up in space, so they may know the lore, but weren't on Earth to see the commercial and critical success of "Not Like Us" or Lamar's halftime performance).
The Oscars
(L-R) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande perform onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Sadly, there isn't a cinema on the ISS, so the astronauts may not have seen films which have dominated pop culture these past few months such as Wicked,Anora, or The Substance - nor will they have seen Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's opening performance at this year's Academy Awards.
The press and products for Wicked have been unavoidable (unless you've been stuck up in space, not to be confused with holding space...).
Elon Musk and DOGE
White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) on March 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump was returning to the White House after spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Billionaire Elon Musk's turn into politics has been grabbing headlines ever since the astronauts were stuck in space, from jumping around at Trump's rallies to becoming a senior advisor to the president and was the brainchild of "DOGE".
Recently, Musk has also accused the Joe Biden administration of leaving two astronauts stranded in space for “political reasons”.
Elsewhere, Elon Musk makes controversial 'political' claim about astronauts on Space Station, and Elon Musk told to 'step up as Tesla boss' as patience wears thin amid stocks tanking.
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