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Butch Wilmore

Dolphins Crash Party As Mass Astronaut Returns To Earth After 9-Month Mission Dolphins Crash Party As Mass Astronaut Returns To Earth After 9-Month Mission
Dolphins Crash Party As Mass Astronaut Returns To Earth After 9-Month Mission Nine months after departing for the International Space Station on a planned week-long trip, two American astronauts have finally returned to Earth after a string of delays and bad luck.  But it wasn't just a grateful nation welcoming them home — they also received an unexpected visit from a pod of dolphins, which showed up to check out their splashdown. Astronauts Sunita Williams, 59, of Needham, Massachusetts, and Butch Wilmore, 62, landed  Tuesday evening, March 18, in the Atlantic Ocean near Florida. They were joined on the return trip by astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmo…
Mass Astronaut Trapped In Space For 9 Months Prepares For Return Trip Home Mass Astronaut Trapped In Space For 9 Months Prepares For Return Trip Home
Mass Astronaut Trapped In Space For 9 Months Prepares For Return Trip Home A planned trip to the International Space Station last year, originally set to last just over a week, has instead left two astronauts marooned in orbit for nine months. However, after repeated delays, the wayward wanderers are finally expected to return home on Tuesday, March 18. Astronauts Sunita Williams, 59, from Needham, Massachusetts, and Butch Wilmore, 62, blasted off in June 2024. Technical issues plagued their Boeing Starliner, and the craft returned to Earth without them out of concern for their safety. On Friday, March 14, a SpaceX Dragon capsule launched and docked with the ISS t…
Needham Native, Second Astronaut Will Get Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble Needham Native, Second Astronaut Will Get Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble
Needham Native, Second Astronaut Will Get Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble After spending months in limbo aboard the International Space Station, an astronaut from Massachusetts finally has a return date to Earth. Pilot Suni Williams, from the town of Needham in Norfolk County, and commander Butch Wilmore will abandon Boeing’s troubled Starliner and instead hitch a ride on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, NASA confirmed Saturday, Aug. 24. The stunning decision capped off 11 weeks of uncertainty after NASA discovered numerous helium leaks and malfunctions with Starliner’s thrusters following its launch from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday, June 5. Ea…
NASA 'Not Quite Ready' To Bring New England Native, 2nd Astronaut Home Amid Starliner Troubles NASA 'Not Quite Ready' To Bring New England Native, 2nd Astronaut Home Amid Starliner Troubles
NASA 'Not Quite Ready' To Bring New England Native, 2nd Astronaut Home Amid Starliner Troubles Nearly two months after blasting off from Florida’s Space Coast, a pair of NASA astronauts – including a Massachusetts native – still have no idea when they’ll return to Earth. In a mission update Thursday, July 25, NASA and Boeing leaders still could not commit to a return date for Starliner pilot Suni Williams, from the town of Needham in Norfolk County, and commander Butch Wilmore. The pair – serving as guinea pigs of sorts for Starliner’s first crewed mission – remain in limbo aboard the International Space Station after numerous helium leaks and malfunctions with the spacecraft’s thrus…
Stuck In Space: Mass Astronaut Faces Uncertain Return Date Amid Starliner Troubles Stuck In Space: Mass Astronaut Faces Uncertain Return Date Amid Starliner Troubles
Stuck In Space: Mass Astronaut Faces Uncertain Return Date Amid Starliner Troubles A Massachusetts native is among two American astronauts facing an uncertain return date to Earth amid ongoing problems with the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft. Pilot and Needham native Suni Williams, along with commander Butch Wilmore, remains stuck on the International Space Station nearly a week after their expected departure date while NASA crews work to understand several issues that have arisen since the pair launched into orbit on Wednesday, June 5. Among the problems sparking concern are malfunctions of the vehicle’s thrusters and numerous helium leaks that sprang up during their…