All the major things NASA astronauts missed on Earth while ‘stranded’ in space as they finally return to a very different world
It's been three days since the NASA astronauts who were stuck in space for months upon months finally returned home to Earth.
Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore docked their Boeing Starliner onto the International Space Station (ISS) last summer on 5 June, 2024 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission, unaware that they'd be trapped in the ship for a further nine months following a bout of technical faults.
They ended up spending a staggering 286 days in space - which is a pretty staggering 278 days longer than anticipated when they launched - and, in that time, it's clear the pair missed out on quite a lot of things that went down on Mother Earth.
So, without further ado, let's get into some of the main news events that may have passed Suni and Butch by if they hadn't been receiving updates from back home...
Advert
June 12th, 2024 - UN finds that Israel and Hamas committed war crimes
Less than a week after the astronauts were launched into space, the United Nations found that Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes.
Israel’s military operation and attack in Gaza, which has been been the longest, largest and bloodiest since 1948, caused immense damage and loss of life and triggered, for many Palestinians, traumatic memories of the Nakba and other Israeli incursions.
"The only way to stop the recurring cycles of violence, including aggression and retribution by both sides, is to ensure strict adherence to international law," The Commission stressed.
"That includes ending the unlawful Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory; discrimination, oppression and the denial of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and guaranteeing peace and security for Jews and Palestinians."
July 4th, 2024 - Labour wins UK General Election
Leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer, won the UK General Election in the peak of summer.
Starmer received a massive majority in the House of Commons of more than 170 MPs after winning over 400 of the 650 seats up for grabs - making it the first time in 14 years since the UK has had a different government.
He made a number of pledges following the announcement but has most recently come under immense criticism following a major overhaul of the welfare system which sees X billion of disability benefits slashed.
July 13th, 2024 - Trump is shot in assassination attempt
In July of last year, whilst delivering a speech during an open-air campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, US president Donald Trump was targeted by a 20-year-old man, who fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was subsequently shot and killed by a member of the US Secret Service, after Trump endured a wound in his upper right ear.
Crooks' aim also killed one audience member and critically injured two others.
Reflecting on the attempt made on his life, Trump told Capitol Rotunda attendees the day of his inauguration (20 January): "I was saved by God to make America great again."
July 14th, 2024 - Spain wins the Euros
Spain took home the championship during the Euros against England with a 2 - 1 win.
Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal from the Spanish team scored the two goals while Three Lions' Cole Palmer scored England's only goal.
July 26th - August 11th, 2024 - Olympics
The astronauts also missed the entirety of the Olympics - an event which saw a whole load of controversial moments from start to finish.
Just to name a few, there was Anthony Ammirati who went viral thanks to his manhood costing him a medal during his pole vaulting event and the controversy surrounding Imane Khelif who won a gold medal in the women’s welterweight tournament - making her Algeria’s first woman to ever win such an accolade in boxing at the Olympics.
However, her incredible achievements were, unfortunately, tarnished by an extremely aggravated and totally baseless dispute over her gender.
Oh yeah, and there was the whole Raygun chaos.
August 14th, 2024 - WHO declare Mpox a public health emergency
Just three days after the Olympics ended, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.
"This is something that should concern us all … The potential for further spread beyond Africa and beyond is very worrying," said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
October 7th, 2024 - Hurricane Milton
In autumn of last year, the worst storm to hit the American East Coast in decades struck with experts describing Hurricane Milton as the 'deadliest' and most 'catastrophic' storm to hit Florida in 100 years.
It tragically killed 35 people.
November 4th, 2024 - Trump wins presidential election
The following month, Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election against Democrat opponent, Kamala Harris.
His victory made him the second man in history to serve two non-consecutive terms as US president.
It also made him the first convicted felon to serve in the presidential role.
December 19th, 2024 - Gisèle Pelicot trial
In a trial that shocked the world, 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot appeared before a judge and jury at a court in Avignon, France, where her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, stood on trial after admitting to drugging her before inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body.
He was apprehended after French authorities discovered records of the heinous assaults against the mother-of-three inside the Pelicot property, indicating that Dominique had filmed every single interaction.
Fifty other men - with ages ranging between 26 and 74 and a mix of professions, including a police officer and a journalist - were also accused of having abused Gisèle between 2011 and 2020, after her husband drugged her with a mix of sedatives and anti-anxiety medication before he invited the strangers to their Mazan, Provence, home via online chatrooms.
Dominique and the 50 men were found guilty with the former sentenced to 20 years.
December 25th, 2024 - Christmas
This one's pretty self-explanatory, guys.
January 6th, 2025 - Justin Trudeau announces resignation
Kicking off the New Year with a bang, Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.
After nearly 10 years leading Canada after coming into the role in 2013, Trudeau was replaced by former Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, amid a dispute over how to best navigate Trump’s latest trade tariffs.
The decision after months of pressure from within his own Liberal Party and growing public anger over his government’s record.
January 7th, 2025 - LA wildfires
Thousands upon thousands of celebrities and civilians alike were forced to flee their homes as the Los Angeles wildfires tore trough America’s second-largest city.
The likes of Paris Hilton, James Woods, Eugene Levy, Bella Hadid and Anna Faris are just a handful of Hollywood A-listers whose homes burned down in the blaze.
As many as 29 deaths have been linked to the wildfires.
January 19th, 2025 - Israel/Hamas ceasefire
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was declared two months' back in mid-January, coming into effect on the 19th.
Since then, Israel has 'resumed combat in full force' against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week on Tuesday night (18 March).
In a video statement, he warned that 'negotiations will continue only under fire' and that 'this is just the beginning'.
January 20th, 2025 - Trump's inauguration
Trump is officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States before passing a flurry of executive orders left, right and centre.
In exactly three months since being in office as of today (20 March), the 78-year-old Republican has declared that the US will only recognise 'two sexes, male and female', he's ended birthright citizenship and has appointed Elon Musk to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - just to name a few.
February 28th, 2025 - That meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump
Then, just last month, Trump and Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sat down at the White House to discuss the war which led to a heated row between the two world leaders.
During the press conference, Trump shockingly warned Zelenskyy he was 'gambling with World World III'.
Following his and vice president JD Vance's exchange with Zelenskyy, Trump made a major U-turn after reading an 'important' letter from the Ukrainian president as he said during his Congress Speech (4 March): "It's time to stop this madness. It's time to halt the killing. It's time to end the senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides."
Topics: Nasa, News, Politics, Space, US News, World News, UK News, Olympics, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, Weather, Sport, Football, Keir Starmer, Health, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle