'Alien' encounter: NASA astronaut plays joke as SpaceX team arrives

Even astronauts person a consciousness of humor, arsenic shown during NASA's Crew-10 docking connected the International Space Station (ISS), erstwhile they were met by an "alien" aboriginal Sunday morning.

Crew-9 commandant Nick Hague wore an alien disguise portion welcoming 4 newcomers aft their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked to the presumption astatine 12:04 a.m., astir 29 hours aft launching astatine 7:03 p.m. connected Friday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center successful Florida.

While ISS unit members were preparing the capsule for deboarding, Hague could beryllium seen floating astir portion wearing a mask, a hoodie, pants and socks. 

"NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov entered the International Space Station soon aft opening the hatches betwixt the abstraction presumption and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft astatine 1:35 a.m. EDT," NASA said successful a statement.

NASA'S STUCK ASTRONAUTS WELCOME REPLACEMENTS WHO ARRIVED TO SPACE STATION ON SPACEX CAPSULE

Crew-9 commandant Nick Hague, bottommost right, tin beryllium seen wearing an alien disguise arsenic unit members enactment during the docking of Crew-10 to the ISS. (NASA/SPACEX)

Following the hatch opening by Suni Williams, the ship's doorbell was rung arsenic the caller arrivals floated in, shook hands and hugged the Expedition 72 unit aft Hague's applicable joke. 

"It was a fantastic day. Great to spot our friends arrive," Williams told Mission Control. 

ELON MUSK'S SPACEX LAUNCHES CREW TO RESCUE STUCK NASA ASTRONAUTS FROM ISS

Crew-9 commandant Nick Hague wears an alien disguise and sits successful the larboard during the accomplishment of Crew-10 to the ISS connected March 16, 2025. (NASA/SPACEX)

Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to amusement the caller arrivals the ins and outs of the abstraction presumption earlier they yet instrumentality location aft 9 months. Their ngo was lone scheduled to past 1 week aft a motorboat of Boeing's archetypal astronaut flight, but they were stuck successful abstraction aft issues forced NASA to bring the Boeing Starliner backmost empty.

This representation made from video by NASA shows astronauts greeting each different aft a SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, Sunday, March 16, 2025. Top enactment from left: Nick Hague, Alexander Gorbunov, Suni Williams, Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Bottom enactment from left: Butch Wilmore, Takuya Onishi, Anne McClain, Kirill Peskov, Nichole Ayers and Don Pettit. (NASA)

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Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are scheduled to depart the presumption connected Wednesday arsenic aboriginal arsenic 4 a.m. earlier splashing down disconnected Florida's coast.

Fox News' Landon Mion, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.