THIS is the bizarre moment an “alien” greeted the SpaceX crew as they arrived at the International Space Station to rescue two astronauts stranded for nine months.
As the Dragon capsule docked, NASA astronaut Nick Hague – already aboard the ISS – floated toward the hatch wearing an alien mask, giving the new arrivals an welcome.
The moment NASA astronaut Nick Hague shows up donning an alien mask[/caption]
The hilarious moment was caught on NASA’s livestream[/caption]
Hague was already aboard the International Space Station when he decided to pull the prank[/caption]
The lighthearted prank was a surreal moment in an otherwise dramatic mission to bring home Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stuck in orbit far beyond their intended eight-day stay.
The Dragon capsule was carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov.
It docked with the ISS shortly after 4am UK time after a 28-hour journey from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Once the hatch was opened, Wilmore rang the ship’s bell as the newcomers floated in, exchanging hugs and handshakes with the existing crew.
Williams told Mission Control: “It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive.”
McClain, speaking after their successful docking, described the surreal moment: “Crew-10 has had a great journey up here, and I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out the window and saw the space station for the first time.
“That is such an amazing journey. You can hardly even put it into words.”
Stranded in space
The mission to retrieve Williams and Wilmore comes after months of delays, political controversy, and technical failures.
The two were supposed to return home shortly after arriving in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but a series of malfunctions left them stuck on the ISS.
The moment the SpaceX crew arrived and greeted the astronauts aboard the ISS[/caption]
The Dragon capsule docked with the ISS after a 28-hour journey[/caption]
NASA ultimately decided to send Starliner back to Earth empty, forcing the astronauts to wait for another ride.
Their return had initially been scheduled for late March, but the timeline was pushed forward after former President Donald Trump urged SpaceX owner Elon Musk to “go get” the astronauts.
Trump and Musk have claimed the astronauts were left in space for political reasons, a suggestion refuted by NASA.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations, admitted in a press briefing that there “may have been conversations” within the Biden administration about delaying their return, but he was not part of those discussions.
Butch Wilmore (R) and Suni Williams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, on the day of Boeing’s Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission in 2024[/caption]
The pair had been stranded up in space for nine months[/caption]
Back to Earth
Now that their replacements have arrived, Williams and Wilmore will spend the next few days familiarising the new crew with life on the ISS before boarding their ride home — a SpaceX Dragon capsule that has been docked at the station since September.
After months of uncertainty, Williams is eager to return home to her family and her two dogs.
“It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little bit more so than for us,” she said.
Wilmore’s teenage daughter, Daryn, described the ordeal as exhausting.
She told E! News: “We’ve had so many changes, and it’s a bit mentally exhausting.”
What is SpaceX?
Here’s what you need to know…
SpaceX is a cash-flushed rocket company that wants to take man to Mars.
It was set up by eccentric billionaire Elon Musk in 2002 and is based in Hawthorne, California.
SpaceX’s first aim was to build rockets that can autonomously land back on Earth for refurbishment and re-use.
The technology makes launching and operating space flights more efficient, and therefore cheaper.
SpaceX currently uses its reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets to fly cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) for Nasa.
It also carries satellites and other space tech into orbit for various government agencies and multinational companies.
The company took astronauts to the ISS for the first time in 2020.
Other future missions involve carrying tourists to the ISS and astronauts to the Moon and Mars.
Musk has repeatedly said he believes humanity must colonise Mars to save itself from extinction.
He plans to get a SpaceX rocket to the Red Planet by 2027.
