National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore have finally made it back to Earth after an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). What was originally planned as a short eight-day mission turned into an extended stay due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that carried them to space. Their much-anticipated return has sparked a lot of excitement online. Among the many posts celebrating Wilmore’s return, one by his daughter Daryn Wilmore has particularly captured people’s attention. Throughout Wilmore's time in space, she had been sharing TikTok videos about his situation. In her final video of the series, posted just before her father's return, she had announced, “Hi everyone, welcome to the very final installment of ‘My dad is stuck in space’—because he’s not anymore!” She also said, “It’s happening, guys, it’s finally happening.” Instead of throwing a big party, Daryn revealed that the family was opting for a more intimate welcome. She wanted to make the moment special for her father by preparing his favorite dessert—pecan pie—and spending time doing the things they love together. With her limited time at home, before heading back to school, Daryn said she planned to do everything with him before leaving. Watch the video: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Daily Mail (@dailymail) Although the video was originally shared on TikTok, it quickly spread across other social media platforms. Many users resonated with her excitement and shared their happiness in the comments. One person wrote, “Yay! SO excited for you and your family. Grateful they had a safe return to Earth.” Another user commented, “So happy he's home!!! I know he enjoyed that pie!!!” In a previous TikTok post, Daryn had spoken about the delays that kept her father in space, expressing frustration over what she described as "politics" interfering with the mission. “He’s missed out on a lot. It’s less the fact that he’s up there sometimes; it’s more the fact of why. There’s a lot of politics, there’s a lot of things that I’m not at liberty to say that I don’t know fully about. But there’s been issues, there’s been negligence,” she said, as reported by The New York Post. Wilmore and Williams launched to the ISS in June last year, but troubleshooting and technical complications kept them in orbit for months. After multiple delays, they finally made their way back, successfully splashing down off the Florida coast. According to Nasa, Butch Wilmore, a retired United States of America Navy captain, has now spent a total of 464 days in space across three missions.
