NASA’s stranded ISS astronauts remain in space for another month

NASA astronauts Sunita “Sunny” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have reached their six-month milestone of being stranded on the International Space Station, despite originally planning to stay for only eight days. And now, what was planned as a February comeback has been moved to late March.

“NASA and SpaceX evaluated various options for managing the next crew transfer, including the use of another Dragon spacecraft and manifest adjustments,” according to NASA press release issued December 17. “After careful consideration, the team decided that launching Crew-10 in late March, after the completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option to meet NASA’s requirements and meet the space station’s 2025 goals.”

The delay is to allow NASA and SpaceX teams to complete work on the mission’s new Dragon spacecraft. This new craft will launch four crew members to the ISS – Commander Anne McClain, Commander Pilot Nicole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. Once the new crew is in place, Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will return to Earth.

But Williams and Wilmore aren’t complaining about their extended stay.

“I love everything about being up here” Williams said in early December. “Living in space is super fun.”

The astronauts are busy, with Williams and Wilmore helping other ISS occupants with space botany and other research, according to NASA’s ISS blog. They have assisted in more than 60 scientific studies during the almost six months on board, reports the Washington Post.

Here’s what you need to know about what the two astronauts are up to.

Who are the astronauts?

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts and are naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998 and Wilmore since 2000. Both have extensive space experience.

Williams is the former record holder for the most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and the longest spacewalk by a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007 she ran the first marathon by a human in space.

In 2009 Wilmore piloted the space shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS, and in 2014 he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to produce a tool – a wrench – in space, the first time humans had produced anything off-world.

What was their original mission in space?

Wilmore, as commander, and Williams, as pilot, traveled to the ISS in a 15-foot-wide, Boeing-made capsule called the Starliner. They launched on June 5 and docked with the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes the Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to and from the ISS, and the fact that it’s made by Boeing is another sign that NASA is starting to lean on the private sector for its human space capabilities. flight, The New York Times reported.

Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission was to last just eight days, during which they would test aspects of the Starliner and see how it operated with a human crew in space. But due to complications with the Starliner, the two astronauts are still there.

What do astronauts eat?

Food on the ISS is a major focus, as fresh produce must be replenished every three months with supplies from Earth. On November 23, the unmanned Progress 90 resupply spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS. But the last delivery of food came with an objectionable smell.

“After opening the hatch of the Progress spacecraft, Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch for the rest of the Russian segment,” a said a NASA representative in a statement posted on social media.

“The space station’s air scrubbers and pollutant sensors have been monitoring the station’s atmosphere since the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined that air quality on the space station was at normal levels,” NASA said. “There is no concern for the crew and as of Sunday afternoon the crew is working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress while all other space station operations proceed as planned.”

NASA revealed that their menu includes cereal with milk powder, pizza, shrimp cocktails, grilled chicken and tuna.

The smell that came with the spacecraft isn’t the only food-related concern of late, with some publications questioning the astronauts’ flimsy appearance based on recent photos.

Dr. JD Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical director, made an official statement that Williams and Wilmore were fine. “NASA and our partners have safely conducted long-duration missions aboard the orbiting laboratory for decades, studying the effects of space on the human body as we prepare to explore deeper into the solar system,” Polk said. “The health of the crew is regularly monitored by specialist flight surgeons on Earth and they have individualized nutrition and fitness regimes to ensure they stay healthy during their expeditions.”

Williams said she weighed the same as when she got to the space station, in a video interview conducted on 12 November of the ISS.

What do astronauts say?

Astronauts are positive about their experience. In a live press conference in September, Williams said that although they knew their mission was only planned to last eight days, they had both been “training for several years” for it. They are fully qualified to stay in space for an extended period of time and help pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will return them home next year.

“It’s very peaceful here,” Williams said on Sept. 13, but added that they miss their families on Earth.

Astronauts work on research, maintenance and data analysis during their extended stay.

“We’re having a great time here on the ISS,” Williams said at a press conference conducted from orbit in July. “I’m not complaining. Butch ain’t complaining we’re here for a few more weeks.’

How did they even stay in space?

The Starliner was fun in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Engineers then had to fix a helium leak. This is all bad news for Boeing. that’s it competing with SpaceXwhich was transporting astronauts to the ISS since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.

The Starliner finally launched atop an Atlas V rocket on June 5, but along with it came some problems. This was announced by NASA three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before the flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew had to troubleshoot control thrusters, although the craft was able to dock successfully with the ISS.

SpaceX has also had failures. A The Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad in 2016. In July of this year, a Falcon 9 rocket suffered a liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellites into the wrong orbit, The New York Times reported. And a Falcon 9 rocket in late August lost a first-stage booster when it overturned in the Atlantic Ocean and caught fire.

But even so, SpaceX has more than 300 successful ones Falcon 9 flights to his credit.

Stuck in Space: Timeline

• May: The Starliner launch is delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket and then a helium leak.
• June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore on board.
• June 6: The Starliner docks with the ISS, despite dealing with three helium leaks and damaged thrusters.
• September 6: The Starliner leaves the ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
• September 28: SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission launches with Haig and Gorbunov aboard a Dragon spacecraft.
• September 29: SpaceX Dragon docks with the ISS.
• December 17: NASA announces the launch of four crew members to the ISS will be delayed from February to late March.
• March 2025 next: The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Haig and Gorbunov.