NASA Astronaut’s Daughter Speaks Out as Dad Returns to Earth After Being Stuck in Space for 9 Months

TikToker Daryn Wilmore is giving a major life update after her father, NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore, marked his anticipated return to Earth after an unexpected nine months stranded in outer space.

“Hi everyone, welcome to the very final installment of my dad is stuck in space, because he’s not anymore!” Wilmore said in the TikTok video shared on March 18.

The video, posted just hours before the successful landing of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9, was part of her ongoing series where she has been updating followers on her dad’s time in space.

“It’s happening, guys, it’s finally happening,” she said after months of posting real-time updates about her father’s mission.

Though she noted that her family wasn’t planning a big party for his return, she revealed they would still be celebrating on a smaller scale, including possibly heading to her uncle’s house for a small get-together with close friends. “I’m making him his favorite dessert, which is pecan pie,” she revealed.

She sweetly added that she’s made up an entire list of his favorite things and things they used to do together, which she plans on checking off before she heads back to college.

As one of the longest stays in space for a NASA astronaut, his return is not only a personal milestone for the Wilmore family but also a momentous occasion for the space community.

Wilmore and fellow NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, 2024, on the first-ever crewed mission of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. The goal of the mission, as reported by Space.com, was proving the spacecraft was ready to carry astronauts to and from the ISS.

The mission was originally expected to last no more than 10 days, but NASA began to push back the date to troubleshoot problems, and additional issues started to occur.