Melissa Donovan
After arriving back home just a week ago, NASA’s astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will discuss findings from their long stay aboard the International Space Station during a news conference Monday, March 31 at 2:30 p.m. EDT from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Afterward, the crew will be available for individual interviews at 3:30 p.m.
The three crew members and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov returned to Earth on March 18. Gorbunov will not participate in the conference due to his travel schedule.
Hague and Gorbunov lifted off at 1:17 p.m. Sept. 28, 2024 on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. Williams and Wilmore boarded Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, 2024, arriving to the space station on June 6. NASA later announced the uncrewed return of Starliner to Earth, in August.
“Williams and Wilmore traveled 121,347,491 miles during their mission, spent 286 days in space, and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth. Hague and Gorbunov traveled 72,553,920 miles during their mission, spent 171 days in space, and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth,” a news release by NASA read.
While in space, Hague, Williams and Wilmore spent more than 900 hours devoted to researching and conducting over 150 unique experiments. They studied plant growth and development, stem cell technology, and how the space environment impacts material degradation. They also spacewalked and collected samples of the station’s exterior to study microorganisms’ survivability in space.
While focusing on scientific findings, the crew also prioritized inspiring the next generation of space explorers and astronauts. They supported 30 ham radio events with students worldwide and conducted a student-led genetic experiment.
Now that Crew 9’s time at the space station has come to a close, NASA looks forward to more discovery and exploration in space.
“The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars,” the news release read.
To hear about their journey and scientific findings, watch live coverage on NASA+.
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