关注公众号“水木英语晨读Freya”领取1~958期原版外刊讲义PDF

American astronauts return after 286 days on the ISS

American astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June of last year, have started their journey back to Earth.

As NASA reported, the Crew Dragon capsule, which also carries American Nick Hague and Russian Aleksandr Gorbunov, detached from the ISS early Tuesday morning, Eastern Time. The landing is planned for late Tuesday evening off the coast of Florida.

Williams and Wilmore left for space on the first mission of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. They planned to stay on the ISS for eight days, but issues with the Starliner's propulsion system delayed their return. Ultimately, NASA decided that the astronauts would return to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

Upon their return, the astronauts will spend a few days at NASA's centre, undergoing medical examinations. Long-term stays in space can lead to various health issues, such as muscle atrophy or vision impairment.

Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space, exceeding the six-month average mission duration on the ISS. In comparison, American astronaut Frank Rubio was in space continuously for 371 days due to a malfunction in the Russian spacecraft.

关注公众号“水木英语晨读Freya”领取1~958期原版外刊讲义PDF