Featured Image Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images
Topics: Nasa, Space, World News, Health
Lucy Devine
Topics: Nasa, Space, World News, Health
On Tuesday evening (18 March) NASA astronauts Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore landed back on Earth after nine months in space.
The pair set off for the International Space Station (ISS) back in June last year, but due to technical problems with their Boeing Starliner, they had no choice but to find an alternative mode of transport for their journey home.
Fast forward to this week and thanks to NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, Williams and Wilmore - along with two other astronauts - splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday evening.
It was a momentous occasion, with plenty of cheering as the astronauts arrived back on Earth.
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With NASA sharing a live stream of their arrival, people all over the world were tuning in to watch the pair return.
Many people pointed out something pretty cool about the splashdown, which is where a spacecraft lands in water with the help of parachutes.
The technique is used for a number of reasons, including reducing impact force, eradicating the need for heavy landing gear and minimising risk of damage.
Watching the astronauts glide into the water was an incredible moment, made even 'cooler' by some unexpected visitors.
One person wrote on X: "Astronauts who were stuck in space for nine months splashing down in the Gulf of America and immediately being surrounded by a pack of dolphins is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen."
While another added: "The footage of the splash down with the dolphins was incredible. what a welcome home!"
And another added: "What an amazing achievement! My husband and I watched the splash down and it was awe inspiring.
"Even the weather, the dolphins, the colors of the sky and the parachutes were beautiful!"
Meanwhile, a fourth wrote: "I watched every minute of the splashdown, all so precise and superbly executed! And the side show of Dolphins was an added bonus."
Once they returned to Earth, Williams and Wilmore could be seen smiling for the cameras as they were transported from the capsule and on to stretchers.
This is for a number of reasons, mainly because astronauts can struggle to walk after so long in space and need some time to adjust to Earth's atmosphere.
They can also experience dizziness and nausea when they travel home, similar to how some suffer motion sickness on a roller coaster or boat.
Our bodies are hard-wired to take advantage of gravity, but that obviously becomes difficult in a space habitat like the ISS and means astronauts are forced to adapt to an entirely new environment.
It's believed the astronauts will now be flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston where they will spend days having health checks before being reunited with their loved ones.