An 'alien’ was spotted onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as the SpaceX crew docked to rescue NASA astronauts.
After nine months in space, NASA astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore were finally set to head home.
But their send-off got a little unexpectedly extraterrestrial.
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Williams and Wilmore were only supposed to spend eight days on the satellite when they arrived in June 2024.
However, safety concerns grounded their Boeing Starliner spacecraft and it returned to Earth without them - leaving the pair stuck in orbit much longer than expected. Their ride home finally arrived early Sunday morning, as a SpaceX Dragon capsule docked at the ISS.
Many watched as the Falcon 9 blasted off on Friday - one that saw multiple delays.
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Along with bringing Wilmore and Williams back, the capsule delivered four new astronauts to replace them including NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russia's Kirill Peskov.
When the new crew arrived and the hatch opened, they got a fitting surprise - an alien.
Okay, so it wasn't a real alien. But it still looked pretty cool!
Fellow astronaut Nick Hague greeted the rescue crew by floating around wearing an alien mask.
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It was smiles all round as the rescue Crew-10 arrived to replace the stranded astronauts. "It was a wonderful day," Williams told Mission Control at NASA’s Kennedy Space Station after their arrival. "Great to see our friends arrive."
Though their replacements have arrived, Williams and Wilmore won’t be leaving just yet. They will spend a few more days on the ISS teaching the replacement crew the ongoing experiments and maintenance schedule before departing aboard the same Dragon capsule.
Whilst they have made the most of their extended stay and spent the holidays together, they're expected to face some challenges upon their return.
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Williams previously addressed that she's relearning 'how to walk.' It’s likely they have developed a skin condition known as ‘baby feet’ that can occur after months without walking, turning their feet soft.
The return to gravity can make standing and walking painful until their feet toughen up again.
Initially, NASA planned to bring them home two weeks later, but their return was moved up after President Donald Trump ordered close ally Elon Musk to go ahead.
"I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to “go get” the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned by the Biden administration," the president wrote on his Truth Social platform last month.
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"Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!"
Meanwhile, NASA has faced significant budget cuts under Trump’s administration, leading to the shutdown of two departments and the office of its chief scientist.