Astronauts Hold Event Wearing Masks at ISS
Two Astronauts Set to Return to Earth After Nine Months in Space
At the moment when a SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for the return of two astronauts who unexpectedly stayed in space for nine months, a figure resembling an 'alien' was captured on NASA's live broadcast. It turned out that one astronaut wore an alien mask as an event to welcome the arrivals at the ISS.
At the moment when the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for the unexpected return of two astronauts who had stayed in space for nine months, a figure resembling an 'alien' was captured during the live broadcast by NASA. Photo by AP and Yonhap News.
On the 16th (local time), foreign media including the New York Post reported that the SpaceX spacecraft carrying astronauts to replace the two American astronauts who had been forced to stay at the ISS for nine months successfully launched on the 14th and arrived at the ISS just one day later. The four newly arrived astronauts are from the United States, Japan, and Russia, and they will spend some time being trained on the details inside and outside the space station by the existing astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams. Wilmore and Williams plan to return to Earth this week aboard a SpaceX spacecraft. Public attention is focused on whether Wilmore and Williams will be able to safely return to Earth this time.
Previously, astronauts Williams and Wilmore headed to the ISS around June last year. They were scheduled to perform a short mission of only eight days as part of the Crew-9 mission. However, the defect in the spacecraft they boarded was so severe that a safe return was impossible. As a result, the two astronauts were left at the ISS. They attempted to return in September last year, but this also failed due to a lack of emergency escape equipment at the ISS.
Meanwhile, the issue of the two astronauts' return to Earth became a political matter when former U.S. President Trump blamed the previous Biden administration. Elon Musk, a close associate of President Trump, claimed that the Biden administration rejected his proposal to bring Wilmore and Williams back earlier for 'political reasons.' NASA maintained that the two were aware from the beginning that they might have to stay at the ISS for an extended period in case of emergency, and insisted that due to budget and facility management issues, the follow-up team must arrive at the ISS before they can return.
At the moment when the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for the unexpected return of two astronauts who had stayed in space for nine months, a figure resembling an 'alien' was captured during the live broadcast by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA
Since then, the two astronauts had to remain there. To safely bring them back to Earth, SpaceX launched a capsule carrying four astronauts on the 14th. The new astronauts were to take over the missions of Williams and Wilmore. However, just before the capsule successfully docked with the ISS that day, an 'alien' was seen on NASA's official live broadcast screen.
This was not an actual extraterrestrial being, but Nick Hague, commander of Crew-9, who wore a gray alien mask while waiting for the arrival of Crew-10. Hague, wearing a black hoodie and the alien mask, floated inside the ISS creating a humorous scene, which was shared on social media and online communities, bringing laughter to users. He kept the mask on even at the moment the SpaceX capsule successfully docked. When the Crew-10 astronauts boarded the ISS, the Crew-9 members welcomed them with hugs.
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