נאס"א ו-SpaceX החליפו 2 אסטרונאוטים ששהו זמן רב בתחנת החלל הבין-לאומית

A surprise and friendly alien encounter aboard the International Space Station, a SpaceX Dragon capsule just off there early this morning, as two astronauts prepare for the journey home after an unexpectedly long stay in orbit. Take a look. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams were expecting to spend about a week aboard the International Space Station. That was more than nine months ago. Issues with the Boeing Starliner extended their stay. But a joint NASA-SpaceX mission has just arrived to relieve them. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuyo Nishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov make up the team that will replace Wilmore, Williams and their teammates, NASA Commander Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov. The fresh team launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday night after a scrubbed mission Wednesday. They rode into orbit aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule, powered by a Falcon 9 rocket. When they opened the hatches and entered the ISS early Sunday, they were met with friendly faces and even an extraterrestrial surprise. Crew 9 Commander Hague donned a light blue alien mask while welcoming the newcomers. After laughs and hugs, Williams told Mission Control it was a wonderful day, great to see our friends arrive. Before the journey back to Earth, Williams and Wilmore will teach their replacements the ins and outs of the space station. They and their two teammates are scheduled to depart Wednesday on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule and will splash down off the coast of Florida. By the time they touch down on Earth, the pair will have logged nearly 290 days in space since they blasted off last June.