It sounds like the plot of a scary sci-fi/horror movie: two astronauts stranded in space. But the situation surrounding Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, currently stuck on the International Space Station, isn’t quite as scary as Hollywood makes it out to be. Let’s take a closer look.
Who are the astronauts?
Both are experienced astronauts. Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, 58, are both naval officers and former test pilots. Wilmore has been a NASA astronaut since 2000 and Williams since 1998. Both have a lot of experience in space.
Williams is the former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and longest spacewalk time by a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). In addition, she ran the first human marathon in space in 2007.
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 create a tool—a ratchet wrench—in space. It was the first time humans had created something outside of Earth.
What is your mission?
Wilmore as commander and Williams as pilot flew to the ISS in a 15-foot-wide capsule made by Boeing called Starliner. They launched on June 5 and docked with the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to the ISS and back, and the fact that the capsule is made by Boeing is another sign that NASA is increasingly turning to the private sector for its options for human spaceflight, the New York Times reports.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission was supposed to last just eight days, during which they would test various aspects of the Starliner and see how it performs in space with a human crew. But due to complications with the Starliner, the two astronauts are still up there, and a firm return date has not yet been announced. They’re busy — working with the ISS Expedition 71 crew on research and maintenance, NASA says.
Why is the return home delayed?
The Starliner’s launch was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Then engineers had to repair a helium leak. This is all bad news for Boeing, which competes with SpaceX, which has been transporting astronauts to the ISS since 2020 and has made over 20 successful flights to the ISS.
Starliner finally launched on an Atlas V rocket on June 6, but it encountered a number of problems. NASA announced that three helium leaks were discovered, one of which was known before the flight and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew also had to repair faulty steering thrusters, but the spacecraft was able to dock successfully with the ISS.
SpaceX has had its share of failures. In 2016, a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad. And in July, a Falcon 9 rocket developed a leak and sent its satellites into the wrong orbit, the New York Times reported. Nevertheless, SpaceX has more than 300 successful Falcon 9 flights to its name.
Astronauts are safe
NASA immediately announced that the astronauts were neither in danger nor completely stuck.
“There is no rush to bring the crew home,” NASA said in a statement. “That’s a lesson we learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. Our NASA and Boeing teams are studying data from additional testing and analysis in space and on the ground, providing data to mission managers to make the best and safest decision about how and when to return the crew home.”
Options for the astronauts’ return home
In an emergency, Starliner could still bring Wilmore and Williams home, NASA reports. Or, if NASA decides to bring Starliner back without a crew, the two astronauts would remain at the ISS until the end of February 2025.
If that were to happen, NASA would have to juggle its resources. The agency would send two crew members instead of four to the ISS on a SpaceX spacecraft in late September, freeing up two more seats on that ship, which would return in early 2025 with Wilmore, Williams and the other two crew members.
However, NASA points out that no decision has yet been made as to whether the two astronauts will return home with the Starliner or wait for SpaceX.
What do the astronauts say?
The astronauts do not seem to be panicking.
“We’re having a great time here on the ISS,” Williams said from orbit at a press conference in July. “I’m not complaining. Butch isn’t complaining about us being up here a few more weeks.”
And despite the problems with the Starliner, Wilmore seems positive about the spacecraft.
“The spacecraft performed incredibly well,” he said, but noted that the engine problems were evident by the second day. “You could see that the performance of the thrust control had degraded,” he said.
