A Rescue Mission - Two Courageous Astronauts Return Home

“Space, the final frontier; these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise; its five-year mission - to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” To those who are not among the millions of fans of the Star Trek television series, these words are the opening introduction that the viewer would hear with each episode. The Enterprise was a member of the United Federation of Planets, the outer space version of the United Nations.

Since its beginning in 1966, the original Star Trek has over the years witnessed the birth of 12 new spinoff series to the family of this storied and august science fiction series. With each addition, one would notice how the vessel Enterprise had advanced technologically. Star Trek would eventually expand its franchise into successful major motion pictures. 

Star Trek came to mind recently, on Friday, March 14, at 7:03 pm Eastern time. SpaceX launched the Dragon 10 capsule and its crew of four astronauts, consisting of two Americans, one Japanese, and a Russian, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station [ISS]. The launch was flawless into a cloudless sky that acted as a backdrop for the fiery exhaust of the giant booster rocket that could be seen for miles away.

As the rocket stages separated the booster began to fall back to earth, as it neared ground level it turned and landed upright, you could hear the roar of the crowd that had assembled. The intent of the mission was to rescue and bring home Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. In what was to be eight days spent at the ISS, due to technical problems with NASA’s Boeing Starliner Spacecraft, their stay was prolonged. The two NASA astronauts had been stranded at the ISS since June 2024, over nine months orbiting Earth. 

The Dragon 10 space capsule arrived at the ISS early Sunday morning March 16; there was celebrating and smiles. The return capsule undocked from the ISS for re-entry to earth, and splash down occurred Tuesday, March 18, and it was as successful as the original launch. The hope was that these two brave, courageous, and patient Americans, who have persevered under extreme conditions, will make it home. One can only imagine what was going through their minds, after nine months in space.

On Tuesday, March 18, at 1:00 am Eastern time, the SpaceX Dragon capsule left the ISS, with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, and two other astronauts on board. Traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, the trip back will take 17 hours. At approximately 6:00 pm Eastern time, the capsule came into view, and glowed red-hot, as it entered Earth’s atmosphere. Splashdown occurred in the Gulf of America off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida at 6:17 pm Eastern time - Home Sweet Home. The Astronauts were given a hero’s welcome when their capsule was brought aboard the rescue vessel.

After all the fanfare has ended, there can be serious repercussions of spending nine months in a gravity-free environment, and then returning to earth; it can bring with it a myriad of physical conditions. According to the medical experts, their stay at the ISS can affect bone density, which can result in an increase in height, eyes, which can cause vision problems, muscle atrophy, and expansion of the spine. In some cases there occurred an increase in height, which usually lasts for only a period of time, until it returns to normal. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will face what will be months of rigorous exercise.

While watching this grand spectacle, I thought about Star Trek and our fictional adventures in outer space through the mediums of television and movie theaters, and how far we have yet to travel. Given America’s adventures in space thus far, the successes, failures, and tragedies, how far can we advance? If we’re to defy the speed of light, and “boldly go where no man has gone before,” humanity is going to have to look to courageous and gifted visionaries like President Trump and Elon Musk.