In my opinion, there’s nothing quite like a space story. If you’re anything like me, you might have spent a little too much time daydreaming about galactic adventures in a galaxy far, far away, smuggling cargo while tossing out lines like “shiny,” or saving humanity from extinction by taking on the Cylons (SO SAY WE ALL!).

But back here on Earth, a real-life space saga unfolded as two astronauts’ planned eight-day trip to the International Space Station, turned into a 286-day odyssey after the Boeing Starliner’s mission was plagued by multiple setbacks and delays.

If you haven’t heard the story of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, you might have been living under a rock (or on one in deep space). Their marathon mission finally ended on Tuesday, March 18, with a triumphant splashdown in the Gulf. The capsule was welcomed by a pod of curious dolphins to the delight of millions of viewers around the world. 

Naturally, the story was meticulously covered by news publishers. Using the News Dashboard, we analyzed the mobile News Boxes between March 17 and March 20 to spotlight the most visible publishers who covered this remarkable return to Earth.

Keyword Focus
All keywords for this analysis were crawled every 15 minutes for the analyzed period.

Most visible news publishers for NASA astronauts return to Earth

Rankings by the Numbers

Total Mobile News Box rankings: 18,676

While platforms like YouTube, X, and Reddit appeared in the top results for these keywords, this analysis focuses exclusively on news publishers. Additionally, we examined coverage from the day leading up to the event through the days following the splashdown, highlighting the sustained impact of this story.

The most visible publishers ranked in descending order based on total visibility score with their total rankings included:

1. nytimes.com (1,430)
2. nasa.gov (1,302)
3. nypost.com (943)
4. foxbusiness.com (1,075)
5. foxnews.com (737)

Keyword Insights

• Notably, Nasa.gov had zero mobile News Box rankings for the astronaut ‘suni williams’ and only a single ranking for ‘butch wilmore’ during the analyzed time frame.
• The New York Post dominated the mobile News Box rankings for both astronauts’ names, with 165 rankings for ‘suni williams’ and 192 for ‘butch wilmore’.
• ‘spacex’ was the top-ranked keyword for three out of the five most visible news publishers, collectively accounting for 977 keyword rankings.
• The New York Times stood out as the only news publisher to rank for the unexpected viral stars of the event, the friendly dolphins, earning 62 rankings for keyword, ‘dolphins’.
• Interestingly, the use of ‘live’ in a keyword, did not significantly impact visibility during this period, reflecting a possible shift in search.

NY Times mobile News Box ranking for ‘dolphins’

Visibility Winners

1. The New York Times emerged as the clear leader in visibility during the time frame analyzed (March 17–20), dominating the mobile News Boxes with 10.27% visibility, comfortably outpacing its competitors. They particularly excelled with their post-mortem coverage, maintaining strong rankings well after the live coverage of the return was completed. Its standout article, NASA Astronauts’ Nine-Month Orbital Odyssey Ends in a Splashdown, held steady as the most visible, achieving 35.01% visibility and narrowly surpassing the publication’s typically high-performing live updates, which secured 31.16%. Thanks to this sustained performance, the NY Times clinched the top spot as the most visible publisher overall.
2. NASA dominated the pre-return coverage and secured the second spot overall in visibility. As the primary source for updates throughout Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s nine-month mission, NASA.gov remained a trusted hub for millions tracking the journey. On the day of the return, their live broadcast was the must-watch event, drawing widespread attention. Unsurprisingly, ‘nasa’ was the top-ranking keyword, with 714 total rankings. While NASA.gov produced several noteworthy articles leading up to and during the event, their standout piece, NASA to Provide Live Coverage of Crew-9 Return, Splashdown, was the key driver behind their strong second-place finish.
3. The New York Post’s strategic focus on astronaut names themselves paid off, earning them the position of third most visible publisher during the time frame. Their pre-return coverage stood out by taking a playful approach, notably with the article Nick Hague, NASA ‘Alien’ Greets SpaceX Crew Aboard ISS as Stranded Astronauts Gear Up for Return to Earth. This lighthearted story offered a refreshing look at the astronauts as they prepared for their tense journey back to Earth. The keyword ‘astronauts’ ranked highest for the Post with 216 total rankings. Their most visible article, This is how much NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams could earn after months in space, accounted for 43.7% of their overall visibility. This success highlights the Post’s knack for engaging audiences by delivering stories from fresh and entertaining angles.

4. FOX Business took the lead on the keyword ‘spacex’, earning 337 total rankings across seven articles. Their standout article, SpaceX Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landing as NASA Astronauts Return Home After Months Stuck in Space, was the driving force behind their success, contributing an impressive 62.84% of their overall visibility. Their visibility surged right after the splashdown on March 18 and remained strong well into the following day, holding steady until around 4:00 PM ET. This sustained presence showcased FOX Business’s ability to capitalize on key moments and keep audiences engaged.
5. FOX News claimed a spot among the top five most visible publishers for this event. Keyword, ‘spacex’ was their strongest keyword as well, earning 318 rankings in the mobile News Boxes. Their visibility surge began the day before Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return, propelling FOX News to second place behind NASA.gov on March 17. A key contributor to their success was their featured story on the FOX News YouTube channel, RESCUE MISSION: Stranded Astronauts’ Replacements Arrive on ISS, which kept them in the spotlight throughout the event. FOX News further dominated the morning coverage on the day of the astronauts’ return, outperforming all competitors between 4:00 AM and 11:00 AM ET and cementing their strong presence during this historic moment.
   

Key Takeaways

Make sure to check out more of our analyses:

• How Canadian Publishers Reported on Nvidia’s Share Price Drop
• 2024 in Science and Technology: From AI Breakthroughs to Space Frontiers
• 2024 in Health: A Year of Vaccines, Visibility, and Vital Topics

Not yet part of the Trisolute News Dashboard family? Request a FREE DEMO today and find out how your articles rank on Google Discover, Google News, and the SERPs!