After nine months stuck in space, it’s only fair the leave in style – and what better style than an alien greeting your replacements aboard the International Space Station?
NASA astronauts Suni Williams, 59, and Butch Wilmore, 62, were only supposed to spend eight days on the satellite when they arrived las June.
But safety concerns with the Boeing Starliner that took them there meant it went back to Earth without them.
Only in the early hours of this morning did rescue arrive in the form of a Dragon capsule sent by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Not only tasked with bringing Williams and Wilmore home, it was also delivering four new astronauts, from the US, Japan and Russia, to the ISS.
When they docked at the space station, they got a very on-brand surprise.
As Wilmore opened the hatch and Williams waited with a camera, fellow astronaut Nick Hague could be seen floating around with an alien mask on.
He was in position, mask on, for the hugs, smiles and handshakes that greeted JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers from NASA, and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos.
‘It was a wonderful day’, Williams told Mission Control at NASA’s Kennedy Space Station after their arrival. ‘Great to see our friends arrive.’
Williams and Wilmore will have to wait a few more days before going home aboard the Dragon.
They have enjoyed some special moments in that time – including a surprise spacewalk in January – but they may face some problems too.
It’s likely they have developed a skin condition known as ‘baby feet’, with months in space turning their feet soft.
This could make it particularly painful to walk when they’re back on Earth and unable to float around, until their skin hardens up again.
NASA moved forward their return journey by two weeks after US President Donald Trump ordered Musk, a close ally, to ‘go get’.
Writing on his Truth Social platform last month, Trump said: ‘I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to “go get” the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned by the Biden administration.
‘Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!’
NASA has been forced to axe two departments and the office of its chief scientist as part of Trump’s crusade of cuts since taking office.
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