4,576 orbits, 195M kilometers traveled—Sunita William's ISS stay in numbers
What's the story
NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 has successfully concluded its ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The team, which comprised NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, landed safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft earlier today.
Their return concludes a long-duration science expedition aboard the ISS, with Williams and Wilmore clocking some mind-boggling achievements during their 9.5-month-long mission.
Mission details
Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS on June 6, 2024. They were joined by Hague and Gorbunov on September 29.
Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space, covering an incredible distance of 195 million kilometers and completing roughly 4,576 orbits around Earth.
Hague and Gorbunov spent 171 days in space, traveled 116 million kilometers, and completed 2,736 orbits around Earth.
With this mission, Williams has logged 608 days in space over her three flights.
Achievements
Accomplishments and records set during the mission
The Crew-9 mission wasn't just about coming back home safely, it also made some important scientific contributions.
During her stay at ISS, Williams performed two spacewalks, setting the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut with 62 hours and six minutes outside of the station. She is now fourth on the all-time spacewalk duration list.
Williams, along with other crew members, also performed over 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations with over 900 hours of research.
Investigations
What kind of research projects were carried out by Crew-9
During their mission, the Crew-9 astronauts conducted diverse scientific investigations. They examined the potential of stem cell technology to treat blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. They also studied plant growth and quality.
To aid astronauts' health, they tested lighting systems designed to maintain circadian rhythms.
They also gathered samples from the space station's exterior to assess microbial survival in space and prepared the first wooden satellite for deployment.