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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Astronauts Splash Down After Nine-Month Stay in Space; Any Moment, Crew Emerges From SpaceX Capsule; Butch Wilmore & Suni Williams Return From Nine-Month Stay In Space. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired March 18, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:06]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're back on Earth after approximately 17 hours of a return journey from space.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The SpaceX recovery ship and team have been waiting for Dragon's splashdown, and they will now make their way to the splashdown location. The teams have been ready and waiting about three nautical miles away, so it's going to take them about 30 minutes or so to make their way to --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: SpaceX Freedom, first server (ph) and stable one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy, stable one. We see the same.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to take about 30 minutes for the recovery team to make their way over to Nick, Suni, Butch, and Aleksandr, who are still seated and secured inside that Dragon spacecraft there on your screen. Incredible views there of that thermal protection system, or TPS.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: So, Scott Altman When they say it's about 30 minutes until the recovery team comes, is that the ship in the far back on the left there?
SCOTT ALTMAN, FORMER ASTRONAUT: Right. So, they have a ship that they pull up, deploy a crew that grabs the capsule. They're in stable one, that's one of the two altitudes the thing could float in. The other way is upside down, which is not as much fun. So, this is a much more comfortable ride for Nick, Butch, Suni, and Aleksandr. And it's just, you know, a little bit, very light sea state, pretty calm.
TAPPER: It looks like some mini boats are headed their way. There we go.
ALTMAN: There you go.
TAPPER: So, it's not -- it doesn't have to be the giant ship.
Anna Lee Fisher, do they gather everything up there? I'm assuming that the priority is the astronauts and, well, I should say the three astronauts and the one cosmonaut getting them first. But I imagine in addition to the space capsule, they have to get the parachutes and everything else. ANNA LEE FISHER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Yes, that's true. They have to get everything. But I know that the most important thing is to get the crew safely on board the ship.
TAPPER: Just an incredible, incredible experience. Jack Fischer, what goes through your mind when you watch this? This is reminding you of your past trips? Or tell us exactly what you're feeling right now.
JACK FISCHER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: You bet. I'm just -- I'm so happy for him. I'm so happy for their families, all four of them, to be home. It's a -- space is a dangerous business and you never take for granted that things will go right. So, it's great to see that it did.
You know, as far as what they're doing in the capsule right now, for all of them, they've been in space for so long that their inner ear has been off, you've been teaching it to yourself to ignore it, and then all of a sudden it's working with gravity again. You want to be really careful and really smooth with how you move your head. You know, you drop something and you reach down to pick it up, you'll just start spinning in your head. So, you got to be real slow and smooth once you come home.
TAPPER: And, Kristin Fisher, in addition to being a space expert, you also know what it's like to be the daughter of astronauts. So, tell us about the family members of Butch and Suni and what's going through their minds. I mean, it must be mainly relief, I would think.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE ANALYST: Yes, Jake. Well, you know, there's a saying that it's much harder for the families that are left behind on Earth than it is for the astronauts that actually go into space. I was just 14 months old when my mom flew, unfortunately, so I don't remember what was going through my mind when that was happening. But I know that when you talk to the families of other astronauts and even of, you know, married astronaut couples who, you know, one spouse goes to space, the other one stays back on Earth, they all say it's harder to stay behind on Earth than it is to actually, you know, be on top of the rocket going up into space.
With that said, you know, Butch and Suni have talked a lot about how hard this was on them. They were prepared for this long duration mission. They were ready for it. They trained for it. But it's still a bit of, you know, a change in terms of what you were expecting and they missed out on some things at home. And so I know their families are incredibly excited to see what we're seeing right now them returning to Earth safely after all this time, nine months in space.
TAPPER: And I have to ask, I mean, how often do I get an opportunity to talk to Anna Lee Fisher and Kristin Fisher? So, Kristin, you were born in '83. Your mom went into space in '84. So, Anna Lee Fisher, an incredible opportunity, but, I mean, I know moms and dads who have one-year-olds at home and don't even like to go to work much less into outer space.
[18:05:00]
So, that must've been, in addition to the honor of being going to outer space. It must've been personally kind of excruciating.
A. FISHER: It was difficult. But I was doing the two things I love most, you know, being a mom and also getting the opportunity to go in space. And there was no way I was going to say no to that. Also, being part of the first women selected for the program, you know, there was just no way that I would ever say no to that.
But it was difficult to leave and having, you know, a husband who was also an astronaut. I echo what Kristin said. It was much easier to be the one going into space than to watch someone that you care about going into space, particularly when you understand all the risks that are being taken.
TAPPER: Yes. And just to take one second away from the family part of this to go, Scott, they're testing for toxic gases. Is that what they're doing?
ALTMAN: I think that's what they're looking at to see, doing a sniffer around there. I know we did that with the shuttle to make sure everything's safe before they get too close or open to any hatches.
TAPPER: So, former Astronaut Jack Fischer, no relation to the other two Fishers we have here, what toxic gases if they -- we're told that it's an all clear, they didn't find any. But if they had found toxic gases, what does that mean?
FISCHER: It's part of the propulsion system that you have on the vehicles. So, we have procedures that can vent those before the rescue crews go up and hook up all their cables to bring them onto the ship. So, it's just something we train for. And while not related, I absolutely love Anna Fisher. She's a legend. We got to train all sorts of them together. And I just love that lady.
TAPPER: Well, we love Kristin Fisher here at CNN.
Kristin, let me ask you. You were only one when mom went up into space, but I imagine at some point you watched her mission or you watched coverage of her mission and what was that like to behold?
K. FISHER: It's been really fascinating to watch it back as an adult because, you know, at one moment during her space flight, she was up in space and President Ronald Reagan called her and asked her, hey, Anna, you know, since you're an astronaut, the first mom in space, is this a career that you would recommend to your daughter, Kristin? And she said, oh, yes, Mr. President, I would. You know, clearly I didn't quite follow in my parents footsteps, but to now be able to cover it and in this sort of way, it's really special for me and for my mom.
And, you know, I would just point out that, you know, everything that my mom has worked for during her time as an astronaut and the fellow Fischer, this is really a Fisher party on our air right now, I love it, is really a culmination of this moment. What we're seeing here. This is -- yes, it was a disappointment the Boeing Starliner did not work, but the fact that SpaceX was able to bring them home safely. This is what NASA's Commercial Crew Program was all about. This is a program that my mom worked on. It was a program that was designed to outsource the relatively routine ferrying of NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station to private commercial companies so that NASA could focus on big picture things, like going to the moon and someday Mars.
And so, well, yes, it was a disappointment that Boeing Starliner was not able to bring Butch and Suni home. The fact that you had SpaceX and a replacement that could -- or a second option that could get them back safely is a true testament to NASA's Commercial Crew Program and really a reminder that despite all the headlines that Butch and Suni were stuck in space, they were never really stuck, they were never stranded because there was always a spacecraft that was docked to the International Space Station that could have gotten them home in the event of an emergency. Jake?
TAPPER: And we're told that the flight surgeon is calling into the capsule right now on a private line that NASA is not going to broadcast to the world and beyond, in which he is asking the astronauts, the three astronauts and the cosmonaut about anything that they have experienced. Scooter Altman, tell us about that. What exactly is he checking for? Just a bloody nose or --
ALTMAN: Well, it's kind of a quick check to see how everybody's feeling. How did you respond to the entry exposure? Did anybody hit their head while they were bouncing around? It shouldn't be any problems. They were strapped in wearing helmets. It's just kind of a check, anybody having really bad vertigo after getting their vestibular system reset to gravity conditions.
TAPPER: Yes. And we should note I just want to say, Anna Lee Fisher, one of the things we haven't really even commented on in the recovery and return now, thankfully, safely, of astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, is that Suni's a woman. And I think we should know that it's because of trailblazers like you, Anna Lee Fisher, the first mom in outer space, that it didn't even really occur to me to note that she's a woman because it's pretty commonplace now.
A. FISHER: Yes. That's one of the things that we always said that we were looking forward to the time when nobody noticed whether it would male or female and it's been really remarkable the progress that's been made in the years since we were selected. And Suni certainly is a wonderful representative. A helicopter pilot, a test pilot, hard worker, truly amazed at the women that have come after us. They're so well-prepared, so-well trained, and just proud to have been part of the first steps and to see how much farther they have even gone.
TAPPER: And what is it like, I'm going to ask you too, Scooter Altman, to be away from your family that long? I know you're good friends with the family of Butch as well. That's tough and especially if you think you're, someone's going to be away for a week and then they're away for who knows how much time. We should note that there was video of Butch Wilmore thanking not only President Trump but Elon Musk for SpaceX for this trip back which is great, kudos to them. And we're really happy that these two astronauts are home. But what is it like to be away from your family like that, like in outer space?
ALTMAN: Right. It is a disconnect because you are way different than everybody else. You know, you look down at the Earth as you fly over. He's like, hey, that's my hometown. That's where everybody who knew me and loved me and made it possible to be here are down there. But I'm up here. There's a separation that you feel and a desire to get home and reconnect with those things.
One thing I would say, though, is that even when we were first doing space station, we had the space shuttle and the Soyuz that were going there, and when the shuttle had an accident, we had the Soyuz to go. So, there was a backup. Then we developed Commercial Crew and we had Soyuz, but also SpaceX and then hopefully Boeing. So, having that multifaceted redundancy has enabled us to really do more and continue to do missions on the space station, like Nick, Suni Butch, and Aleksandr did.
TAPPER: And, Jack Fischer, when I was young and it was -- the space shuttle was what it was, there was no thought of commercial space travel. There was no SpaceX. There was no Boeing even. Everything was NASA. Everything was NASA. And, Jack, what do you make of the fact that we're in this new world where there are public private partnerships, but there also is this commercial component?
FISCHER: Yes, there's a huge commercial component. I work for a company, Intuitive Machines, that just put our second lander on the moon a couple weeks ago. The commercial partnerships are really accelerating things because there's actually a business case in space now. The cost of launch is down. So, we're going to have more humans, more missions, more robotic exploration, and it's really an exciting time to be a part of the space industry.
TAPPER: We're going to keep talking about this and much more. Everyone stick around. We're going to squeeze in a very quick break. Much more of our breaking news coverage ahead. We're waiting to see Butch and Suni and the two other astronauts who just splashed down off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of America, known elsewhere as the Gulf of Mexico. Recovery crews are working outside the SpaceX capsule, and we're going to bring you every moment to you live. Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
TAPPER: And we're back with breaking news in our Out of This World lead. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams just successfully splashed down in the gulf off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida. You're looking at live pictures of their capsule bobbing in the water. Butch and Suni, finally, thankfully, back on planet Earth after an extended stay in space, a one-week stay turned into nine months. Soon, we're going to see them get escorted out of the capsule, one by one.
My panel of space experts are back with us. And, Jack, can you hear me? What are the next steps, Jack Fischer? What are what are the next steps? Tell us what we're seeing right now, by the way. And we're seeing it looks like there are -- is that a pod of dolphins on the left side of the screen? That's unbelievable. There's a pot of dolphins. A pod of dolphins have just come by. That is -- I couldn't even believe it when I saw that. I'm like, there, oh my God, look at that to the right. That's, I mean, this is why there's no place like home.
Jack, tell us what we're watching right now.
ALTMAN: Wow.
FISCHER: You bet. So, the divers are hooking up some lines so that the recovery ship can pull the capsule in and then there's a crane that basically lifts it onto the ship so you have a nice solid platform. Then the flight doctors and the recovery crews will open the hatch and get them out for an initial medical evaluation. Then they're going to be taken off headed back to KSC and getting into a jet coming home to Johnson Space Center.
Rehabilitation takes a while, so you get your sense of direction and equilibrium back in, in a few days or a week. You're able to function fine after that.
[18:20:00]
But especially after a long stay on the space station, your flexibility is awful. It feels like you're kind of made of concrete.
And so we have this group, a specialized group called the Strength and Conditioning Rehabilitation Acers that basically design a specific program for you and help you get back into fight and form both cognitively and -- oh my gosh, that's so cool.
TAPPER: You like --
FISCHER: How do you not pay attention to dolphins?
TAPPER: I know. You like the Mother Earth sent a welcome home party of a pod of dolphins. It's pretty incredible and magical in its way. And for those wondering, actually Butch and Suni, theirs was not the longest stay on the International Space Station. There was a Salvadoran-American astronaut named Frank Rubio who stayed for longer than a year and -- 371 consecutive days.
And I imagine, Scooter, that that they learned stuff about what it's like on the human body to be in space for that long.
ALTMAN: Oh, they definitely do. That's one of the things NASA works hard at, is understanding the impact of spaceflight on the human body and system. And when you come back, you go through a lot of tests and evaluations to help them understand that even better.
And the longer duration flights have given us an opportunity. We had Scott Kelly up there for almost a year and a twin to compare him too on the ground.
TAPPER: Right.
ALTMAN: It's been interesting.
TAPPER: Yes, we know the twin. He's a senator here in Arizona. And Anna Lee Fisher, what was it like returning for you? I know your experience was quite different than Butch and Suni. But what -- did you have equilibrium issues? Did you have muscle atrophy? Tell us what you went through.
A. FISHER: Oh, I when we landed, I felt like an 800 pound gorilla. I felt so heavy, and we'd only been up there for eight days landed on the morning of the ninth day, and it was amazing how quickly your body adapts to weightlessness and felt very heavy after landing.
I was supposed to throw some switches on an overhead panel, which in the simulator took me probably seconds. Probably took me about three minutes because I felt like I had to lift my arm up with my other arm. And it just, you know, you're just very slow, kind of like what (INAUDIBLE) said, that you feel like a concrete, you know, feel very heavy and also very light headed due to the fluid shifts. And you never totally agree get all the fluids on board, so very lightheaded.
And then we had to get out and walk down the steps that were brought up to the shuttle. Of course, we were on a runway. And, you know, it was just very, very difficult going down the steps. You'll see pictures of us. We're all holding on to the handrail very tightly because none of us wanted to be the, you know, first astronaut to fall as we're getting out of the shuttle. So, a very different experience.
TAPPER: Kristin Fisher, who's on this boat? Who is -- this a NASA ship? Who is -- and who's throwing the ropes? Who are the divers? Who are these people?
K. FISHER: This is a SpaceX ship. This is a SpaceX operation, right? And this is something that SpaceX has gotten very good at because they do this very frequently. They've been doing it multiple times a year on average since 2020. And so this is a SpaceX ship, a SpaceX recovery team. You can see these are the SpaceX employees that are going to be, you know, helping grab this dragon capsule from the ocean surrounded by dolphins and bring it up onto this boat.
One thing to note, when we first see Butch and Suni, you will likely see these astronauts brought out, three astronauts and one cosmonaut, a Russian cosmonaut is a part of Crew 9 as well. We're likely going to see them brought out on stretchers.
This is normal standard operating procedure. You heard my mom just say she felt like an 800-pound gorilla after a few days in space. Imagine what these guys feel like after nine months in space. So -- and not only that, you're not on land, but you're on water, where there's waves and the boats rocking. So, you're likely going to see them be brought out in stretchers. That's perfectly normal, nothing weird there.
And, you know, Jake, something else I just have to note here. You know, there are definitely some downsides to being up in space for about nine months, but some of the upsides are for Suni Williams. She just set a new record in space because she was left up there much longer than initially intended. She's now the record holder for total time spent space walking by any female astronaut. She spent a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes walking in space, in the vacuum of space, across nine space walks, a really incredible accomplishment for her and for veteran NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore as well.
[18:25:07]
And, you know, Jake, finally, I just have to say I've seen a lot of splashdowns before. I have never seen a splashdown as spectacular as this one, middle of the day, bright blue skies, dolphins surrounding the spacecraft. I mean, planet Earth really putting on a show for Butch and Suni to welcome him home.
TAPPER: Yes. If you put that in a movie, people would be like, that's a little much with the dolphins. That's a little much James Cameron. You can't put dolphins in there, Steven Spielberg. But no, that's -- we actually witnessed it.
So, I'm glad you gave us that warning because the astronauts and the cosmonaut will be taken out of this capsule at any second. And that is an important note that we expect that it would not -- that they might be taken out and stretchers and that would not be unusual at all.
Normally, did these take place usually at night, right? So, we don't have this kind of visibility into it.
ALTMAN: It depends on the orbital mechanics of what you're doing and the timing of when you're coming back. I know this is the first time I've seen so much of a recovery like this.
TAPPER: Yes, it just is extremely unusual. And, boy, I don't want to jinx it. But, Anna Lee Fisher, it seems like everything has just been perfect.
A. FISHER: It seems like everything is going very well. And it's amazing, the sea states are so calm, which is important for the SpaceX Dragon. They have pretty severe constraints on the sea space they can land. But it was just beautiful. I've never seen one as amazing as this one as well. And --
TAPPER: What do you mean by that, that you -- that they have constraints on the sea space? What does that mean?
A. FISHER: It's just how much, how high the waves can be to safely have the Dragon capsule land. So, they have to -- I know they were really happy about the sea states for today, for this landing. So --
TAPPER: Oh, so if it had been rocky, it would have been a bad -- it would have been bad if it had just -- and sometimes you can't predict that sort of thing. Sometimes there's just rough waters. And if that had been the case, it would have been a much more difficult recovery is what you're saying?
A. FISHER: Yes, it would be a lot more difficult in the stability of the of the capsule, Dragon capsule. So, if you're going to come back in the in the ocean, today was a perfect day for it. Personally, I'm always kind of glad that we landed on land. TAPPER: Yes. Well, Scott was saying that too, that you're happy that you landed when you landed in the space shuttle just as a space shuttle did on a runway.
ALTMAN: It's interesting because when you land in a vehicle in the water, the touchdown is relatively easy. But then the hard part is getting out and walking away.
TAPPER: Right.
ALTMAN: When you land on land, especially in a capsule, the hard part is touchdown, not hitting too hard, but you're on land and you can walk away.
TAPPER: Yes. Jack, what are they doing here? They seem to be like constantly readjusting, putting the capsule on the ship. Is there an exact correlation that it really has to be precise to lay it down there?
FISCHER: Yes, it absolutely does. And it's -- you know, it's a little bit tricky. It's smooth states, sea states, but still there's some motion. And as you go up and down with that crane it just gets cattywampus. So, you want to make sure it's precisely in that cradle, a nice firm fit, and then they can lock it in and get the crew out.
I did want to say one thing that Kristin mentioned about Suni and her time outside. When I was on station with my good friend, Peggy Whitson, one Fisher, Anna Fisher, retired. And so Peggy called down and, you know, just told her a big part of why she became an astronaut was because of Anna. And now Peggy has the most time of any U.S. astronaut. She has 675 days.
Number two on that list is Suni Williams, both who were inspired by Anna. And that's really what space exploration, one of the most powerful reasons we do it is to inspire, push back that darkness and really get the next generation to follow and do more. So thanks to one Fish for making that happen. You got two ladies that idolized you that are on top of the list now.
TAPPER: Pretty cool. Pretty cool. Kristin Fisher, we were talking a minute ago about commercial spaceflight versus government spaceflight.
[18:30:00]
Obviously, NASA is a government organization and we are watching right now SpaceX, which is a commercial venture, and they work hand in hand. And obviously this is the future.
But I wonder, there is obviously competition between, you know, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and the like, but I'm wondering how much it is ultimately friendly competition, how much it is they kind of root for each other to succeed so that they can then build upon each other's success versus, you know, and ask your competition.
K. FISHER: You know, I was just talking to some folks at Intuitive Machines in Firefly Aerospace, which are two commercial space companies that just landed lunar landers on the surface of the moon about a week or two weeks ago. And they say, look, you know, of course there's competition, right? We are two private companies competing for the same types of government contracts and dollars and whatnot to do these really difficult things.
So, yes, they acknowledge that there's competition, but they also acknowledge the fact that, look, like this opening of a lunar economy, an economy centered around infrastructure and other activities on the surface of the moon, that only exists if multiple companies are successful.
So, yes, there's competition, but they all need each other too. And, you know, the same can be said for what we're seeing with commercial human spaceflight as well. Although, you know, Jake, I will say SpaceX is just they were already dominant when it came to human spaceflight, the only American -- the only American spacecraft that could get astronauts to and from the International Space Station for so many years.
Boeing Starliner, the very spacecraft that Butch and Suni rode to space on, was supposed to change that, to make it so that NASA and the United States wasn't entirely reliant on SpaceX to get its astronauts to and from lower Earth orbit. With Boeing Starliner's failure in this first crude test flight, this means that NASA and the U.S. government are even more reliant on SpaceX than they were before, Jake.
TAPPER: So, we are told by NASA by Mission Control that the capsule has, and this is their terminology, settled in its nest. They have done another test for toxic gases, and, again, that came back clear.
Jack Fischer, if they had discovered toxic gases, that would mean that the gases were attached to the craft of somehow some kind. How does that work exactly?
FISCHER: Typically, that would come out of the jets, the engines and thrusters for controlling the altitude of the spacecraft. And those are not things you want to breathe. So, certainly, the deck crew would be in protective gear or just exit the area while that while those gases clear.
TAPPER: And, Scooter Altman, how much are those astronauts inside that vehicle, inside that capsule, how much do they want this process to pick up so that they can breathe air, and even though they won't be on land, get out of that capsule?
ALTMAN: They're definitely looking forward to it. It always seemed to take a long time until you got out of the shuttle even because you had to safe everything off. They had to check for all the leaks. Same exact thing you're seeing right here and like, hey, we landed open the door. Let me out.
TAPPER: That's what I'm thinking, but you got to finish doing all your checks, shut the vehicle down safely and then get the hatch open and start to get out.
TAPPER: But I guess, Anna Lee Fisher, if these weren't people with a degree of patience, then they wouldn't be astronauts, right?
A. FISHER: Well, it might also be nice to just be laying there and recovering and, you know, getting yourself gathered up for what's about to come. So, you know, and you're there with your fellow crewmates. And so it's a special time, but I'm sure they're ready to get out and breathe the fresh air.
I'll never forget a debrief by Don Pettit when they did a ballistic entry. So, they landed rather far away from the recovery troops. So, they had to exit their Soyuz spacecraft themselves. And I'll never forget his comment about what it felt like to suddenly after being in space for six months, feel the sun on your face and smell the smells of Earth. You don't realize when you're living in such a sterile environment what it's like when you finally come back and realize just how wonderful this planet we live on is.
TAPPER: Jack Fischer, what are they spraying on the capsule right now?
FISCHER: I'm not positive. I'm sure it's probably water though, just to get the salt water off the vehicle.
[18:35:03]
Those seals that you have for the hatch in the capsule are very sensitive. You want to try to clean that off as much as you can to help with opening.
TAPPER: The hatch is going to open in about two minutes, we think.
What comes next? So they get out of there. They get out of the capsule. They might be taken out in stretchers, just to remind people that if that happens, it's not unusual. Their feeling of gravity is upon them. But then I imagine their medical tests. And then what, do they get to eat at some point?
ALTMAN: They may get offered a snack, but they'll probably want to be moving back towards Johnson Space Center pretty quickly. So, we'll see. I know when I got out of the space shuttle, we went back to crew quarters when we landed at Kennedy Space Center. But you got to see your family pretty quickly. Being out at sea, that's going to delay that a little bit, and I think the families for this are still in Houston, so they're going to see them when they get back home.
TAPPER: And you've been spending some time with Butch's family. They must be really eager to see him.
ALTMAN: I think so. I was a crew escort for him when he flew on a shuttle mission, and they were very excited to see him. I know that was in 2009. So, this is a lot of time since that, 16 years, but they're still going to be excited to see the families back there.
I know Butch had said one of the things he was really looking forward to was hugging his wife and hugging his daughters. So, that'll be a special moment when he does that.
TAPPER: And what are they doing right now? What are they doing at the top of the top of the capsule there?
ALTMAN: They may be -- that's the nose cone that comes off so they can dock. They may be working on that to see if they -- I don't know if they take that off before or not.
TAPPER: Right, because this is a SpaceX, SpaceX capsule.
Kristin I'm not sure how many of these SpaceX landings you've seen now but give us your assessment of what's going on.
K. FISHER: Quite a few. Well, we're now under two minutes to the moment that the hatch is opened and the first member of Crew 9 will emerge from this Crew Dragon capsule, again, likely on a stretcher, but you never know. We'll see.
And just a little bit more in terms of what will happen from there, yes, there will be medical checks. And then a helicopter is going to take the astronauts back to dry land before they board a flight back to Houston, Texas. And so then they're going to land at Ellington Field, which is about a 15, 20-minute drive away from the Johnson Space Center. It's where all the NASA astronauts have their T-38s, their training jets.
And they should be there back at Johnson Space Center by the end of today. The astronauts will then spend a few days at the Johnson Space Center. Flight surgeons should clear them to then return home with their families, but the likely get to see their families before they actually get the clearance to physically return to their homes.
And, you know, gosh, one thing --
TAPPER: Here we go. I'm sorry to interrupt, Kristin.
K. FISHER: I'm just thinking what Butch and Suni must be thinking right now, Jake. Yes.
TAPPER: I'm sorry to interrupt, but we just got a much better image and we were told they got the green light to open the capsule. And we got a much better image of them opening the capsule door and Butch and Suni's returned to Earth after more than nine months. They were supposed to be up in space at the International Space Station. Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there you have it. The side hatch is open for the first time since September.
TAPPER: So, somebody went in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can see some of the protective equipment there that was brought into frame. That will help protect the edge of the side hatch one from any potential damage. Oh, we can see the recovery crew member there taking photos of the side hatch seal. This is part of the standard operation for recovery. These photos will get saved into our procedure.
We'll then install that protective frame around the side hatch. This helps to ensure that the side hatch itself, the edges of it incur no damage while crew members are coming out from the spacecraft.
If you missed it, there was also a recovery team member that went inside. So, there are now five people onboard the Dragon spacecraft.
[18:40:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if you are just joining us, it has not yet even been an hour since Crew 9 splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida at 2:57 P.M. Pacific Time. The crew is now on board the recovery vessel, Megan, and the hatch is open.
Next major milestone that we'll see is when the crew will actually egress or exit the spacecraft. But before that, they'll continue to -- the recovery personnel rather will continue to install that protective area around the hatch and then remove the foot rests. So, we're a couple of minutes away from seeing the crew egress, but not too long away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll probably see those foot rests being handed out here in the near future. As I mentioned before, of course, we got to get a well documented photo of the moment. Although we can't see it from here, I'm pretty sure there are four smiles on board right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we did hear that report out from the commander, Nick Hague, following splashdown that there were four smiles as far as he could see.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, capsule full of grins.
Generally speaking --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there we do see Crew 9, some happy waves, smiles all around back on Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. So cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Generally speaking, we have the individuals in the two center seats of the spacecraft exit first. You might hear us refer to this as the exit process as egress. It's just another term for exiting the spacecraft. Generally speaking, we, most of the time, have the two center seats egress first as it makes moving around inside the capsule a little bit easier.
We can see the tablets that were previously located on the upper leg of the crew members. We can see those being handed out to the recovery team. Those were taken off prior to the entry -- to spacecraft reentry. Those had to be stored and secured prior to dynamic operations.
TAPPER: So, Scooter Altman, as we're watching these crew members go in and out of the capsule, what are they doing right now?
ALTMAN: Well, they're basically, you know, deconstructing the vehicle, pulling the extra equipment out that the crew took with them, making a clear path for them to get out. It is kind of a constrained environment. I think that's a footrest coming out right there, making room for the crew to come out.
TAPPER: Why can't the crew just here -- these are stretchers?
ALTMAN: Yes, that's a stretcher going in. So, I think they're going to put one of the crew members on that and bring them out like that just as a precaution, like we heard earlier.
TAPPER: And, again, we're doing this just because it's standard operating procedure pretty much if somebody has spent this -- would they -- are they going to do it for all four or just for the ones that were up there for nine to ten months?
ALTMAN: I think it's for all four. I'd be surprised if it wasn't. Although the workout regime that guys are doing these days makes them typically pretty much able to get out and walk around right away. So --
TAPPER: Right. But they don't want to have an astronaut fall on camera.
ALTMAN: Exactly. And you can see a few astronauts in the back there in the blue suits watching. Typically, the head of the office will be down there looking at recovery and a couple other folks.
TAPPER: Jack Fischer, what's going through your mind as you watch this, as you watch these last moments before the three astronauts and one cosmonaut exit the capsule?
FISCHER: Yes. You know, right before I came back in a Soyuz, so kind of similar experience. You're really gathering all your stuff, handing it to the crew to make room so that you can get out. And then as Anna mentioned Don's story, you know, just to come out and smell the air and have the sun on your face, it's amazing how much you take that for granted when you're down here on Earth when you're living in a tin can for six to nine months. It's a really emotional and exciting experience to come back and just be one with Earth again.
[18:45:05]
TAPPER: And, Anna Lee Fisher, they are now breathing, even though they haven't emerged from the capsule yet, the first fresh air, butch and sunny that they have breathed in more than nine months.
Does it taste sweeter? Tell me what its like.
ANNA LEE FISHER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, you know, for us, having just been gone for 8 or 9 days, I don't think I thought about it that much, but boy, I bet they're just really enjoying, you know, being able to smell the ocean air and just, you know, just everything.
It's just all those smells and sensations are you -- as two fish said, you -- you just take it for granted when you're here. But when you're missing it for a long period of time, you really appreciate just how wonderful this planet we live on is. And so I know they're going to be really glad to be back and be able to be reunited with their families and just get back to a normal life soon. TAPPER: What was it like after you came back from the space shuttle to
grab little baby, Kristin, upon your return?
FISHER: Oh my gosh, it was -- I remember my first words to -- to my husband Bill when we landed was it was all worth it -- all the work, all the effort. It was all worth it.
And then to, you know, I didn't get to see Kristin until we flew back to -- to Houston and landed at Ellington was just the most wonderful feeling in the world to -- to be back home with your family and with her. It was the longest I had ever been away from her at that point, so it was just an amazing feeling.
And -- and I know they're going to be having a similar experience because I'm sure there were lots of things that they missed while they were gone that they had not intended to miss, since they were only supposed to be up there for -- for eight days. But I want to say how -- how much I truly admire Butch and Suni for their --
TAPPER: There they go. Sorry. I'm sorry to interrupt, Annie Lee. I'm sorry to interrupt, Annie Lee, we're watching the first astronaut coming out of the vehicle. Let's listen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our first crew member.
FISHER: I imagine that's Nick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander of Crew 9, now out of Crew Dragon Freedom. Some smiles, thumbs up, and a wave. Can't get any better than that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, that is one happy camper, that's for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: as we said before, it is standard procedure for all of our long duration crew members to receive assistance upon egressing from the spacecraft. We basically help them move off of the recovery deck and into the private medical quarters for their initial consultation with the space flight surgeon. So well see that take place for all four of our crew members today.
TAPPER: So, Scooter Altman, let me just ask you the they said they were taking the of the four, the two from the inside seats first. Seems kind of unfair that Nick Hague got to get out. He's only been up there for 7 or 8 days, right, but, or even shorter?
SCOTT ALTMAN, VETERAN OF FOUR SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS: No, he did a full expedition that launched, what, six months ago?
TAPPER: Oh, okay.
ALTMAN: I know there was a vehicle that just went up and everybody kind of thinks, well, one went up and one came down, but no, they took the one that they took up there a while back.
TAPPER: So -- so he's been up for six months.
ALTMAN: Yeah.
TAPPER: Oh, okay. I misunderstood that.
ALTMAN: The thing though that I noticed is when I landed the shuttle as the commander, I was the last one out. Here, the commander is the first one out. So things have changed.
TAPPER: Because of where their seat, because of where they're seated?
ALTMAN: Yeah.
TAPPER: So who would be -- so who's going to be the next one out. Do we know? Did you catch the faces?
ALTMAN: I would bet it's Aleksandr.
TAPPER: So it's Aleksandr, the cosmonaut.
FISHER: Yeah.
TAPPER: Okay.
And we were just talking about the smell of the sweet sea air that they're experiencing there for the first time. Here's the second. Here's the second astronaut or cosmonaut, we think. Let's listen in as the as he emerges from the capsule.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next up, out of the capsule, we expect Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, his first space flight, spent 171 days in space alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like were getting some cheers and clapping on board as Aleksandr is slid down the little ramp and placed into the mobility aid.
TAPPER: So just to remind everybody as -- as we have before, this is standard operating procedure for the astronaut or in this case, cosmonaut, to be escorted out on a stretcher, just not -- not -- doesn't indicate anything negative that's going on. But remarkable.
[18:50:02]
So okay, so I misunderstood. So they -- so Nick Hague and Aleksandr, the cosmonaut, have been up there for 171 days. That's a lot of time, too.
ALTMAN: I mean, its basically a full expedition. That was the idea. Butch and Suni then filled in, but they had to do the whole 171 day expedition. Even though they'd been there for roughly two months before.
TAPPER: Okay, so when you're up in the space shuttle, is that just a pretty. Sterile environment? I would think it would have to be like, you know, is it stale air? Is it -- is it bland?
ALTMAN: You have a circulation system that's supposedly taken all the odors out. Although I will tell you sometimes when you land and the crew opened the hatch, they'd say, wow, it kind of smells in there, but was normal to me on board.
(LAUGHTER)
TAPPER: Right? Okay. That's funny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit more movable.
TAPPER: Jack, what was it like for you getting out of the vessel?
FISCHER: Yeah, we talked about the smells. You know, when you get to the station, it -- it -- it when you first float in, you're -- it smells like 20 years worth of body odor and farts and you get used to it, but getting back to -- getting back to Earth and being able to breathe, its wonderful.
I'm excited to see these two come out in the in the astronaut office. Butch and Suni are -- are definitely known for just such positive personalities. Butch is such a strong Christian and Suni is just lightning in a bottle. She's got an infectious, passion for everybody. And -- and these are two amazing humans.
I'm so excited to have them home. And I guarantee they're going to be smiling and whooping and clapping and -- and just enjoying this moment of being home.
TAPPER: Let's listen in as one of them, I think it's Butch comes out. Or maybe that's Suni, I can't tell. Let's listen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In of the Dragon for Crew Dragon that now were under about 30 minutes for, you know, to retrieve the spacecraft from the water. And just several minutes here while it's been on board, and to get everyone really to get that side hatch open.
For those of you that have just recently joined, the Dragon had an on time splashdown, looks like were getting our next crew member here.
TAPPER: There is Suni.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is none other than Suni Williams.
TAPPER: Suni Williams has returned to earth. What a wonderful, wonderful moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She and other crew members now will be assisted onto the mobility aid.
TAPPER: Annie Lee Fisher, do you recognize that wobble? Is that the -- what it felt like the 800-pound gorilla wobble?
FISHER: Yeah. I bet she's so happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was getting some smiles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely seems to be. FISHER: I was guessing she would come out first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Recovery operations.
TAPPER: And here we go. The last, the last of the four, Butch Wilmore will return. Let's listen in as the last of the four comes back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inside Dragon, seat four. Getting some views of him now as he egresses or exits the spacecraft.
TAPPER: I think they don't have the mobility vehicle.
ALTMAN: That's what I thought I didn't see.
TAPPER: Oh, there it is. Okay.
ALTMAN: All right. Go, Butch.
TAPPER: There it is, four out of four.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once again, some nice and cheers there from Butch Wilmore, as we mentioned before, returning to Earth from coming from a microgravity environment can wreak havoc on the body. So it is customary and just standard procedure for all of our long term space residents.
TAPPER: What a wonderful moment. So --
ALTMAN: Great day.
TAPPER: Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr , and the ones, the two that we've been following most closely, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back on this big blue marble planet earth.
We're going to have much more on the space mission ahead as we wait for a news conference from NASA.
We're following every single moment live. We're going to squeeze in a very quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: A remarkable event to witness today and to be able to broadcast to you. Two NASA astronauts Butch and Suni finally splashing down back safely on Planet Earth after a long delay of nine months in space. Unbelievably, a pod of dolphins greeted their capsule in the water.
Then we saw, of course, the priceless look -- priceless looks on their faces as they emerged and breathed in the fresh air, the fresh sea air after all that time in that capsule.
Thank you so much to our panel of astronauts and space experts, Annie Lee Fisher and your daughter, Kristin Fisher. I mean, what a treat to have both of you on. Jack Fischer, no relation, but also a great Fischer to have with us, stayed in our orbit to help us understand what was happening at every step of the journey. And of course, Scott "Scooter" Altman here with me in studio.
Scooter, a quick last word. Your take on what we just witnessed.
ALTMAN: A great day. A great demonstration of the partnership with SpaceX and NASA working together, commercial and NASA to bring folks home safely.
TAPPER: It's just amazing. It couldn't have turned out better.
And again, those dolphins, man, if you don't think there's something special and magical about what we all just witnessed, I don't know what you're thinking.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for watching.
