Boeing Starliner Astronauts Share What’s Like To Be Stuck In Space

The situation with the astronauts of the first manned flight test of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, who were stuck on the ISS for eight months, proves once again that you must be ready for any surprises in space. In a recent interview, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams shared their experience of what it’s like to be stuck in space and spent several extra months in orbit.

Eight months instead of 8 days

Last week, NASA astronauts had their first news conference from the International Space Station (ISS) since the Boeing Starliner returned to Earth empty.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will remain on the ISS until early 2025. The uncertainty surrounding problems with the Starliner capsule prompted the space agency to call SpaceX to return the astronauts on the Crew Dragon capsule next February.

Butch Wilmore said he and his crewmate Sunita Williams are ‘very fortunate’ to have the option to stay on the International Space Station for a few more months and return home using a backup option, SpaceX-built spacecraft.

“There have been many instances in the past where there were no other options,” Wilmore said.

When asked if he had trouble adjusting to the prospect of waiting months longer to get home, Wilmore said, “I’m not gonna fret over it. I mean, there’s no benefit to it at all. So my transition was — maybe it wasn’t instantaneous — but it was pretty close.”

Williams said she’s excited to fly two different spacecraft on the same mission. “We’re testers, that’s what we do,” she said.

Sunita Williams to celebrate her second birthday in orbit

On 19 September, Sunita Williams will celebrate her 59th birthday aboard the ISS. This will be her second birthday in space. The first time was during Expedition 32/33, which ran from 14 July to 18 November 2012.

Williams said she misses her family and two dogs and is disappointed that she missed some family activities this fall and winter. While in space, she longed for the beautiful New England autumn’s vibrant red and yellow foliage. Now, Sunita hopes to capture that beauty from space.

In doing so, she added: “This is my happy place. I love being here in space. It’s just fun.” She revealed that while many things require her attention, she loves keeping a diary on the International Space Station.

She said: “One of my favourite things to do here is to write weekly reviews and send them in so others can get an idea of how much fun we’re having and our unique work. It’s so different from life on Earth, and it opens your mind to new ways of thinking.”

What Williams and Wilmore will be doing in orbit

The two are separate from Expedition 71, an international crew of seven astronauts serving as official space station personnel. However, NASA said Sunita and Butch are already performing daily tasks aboard the orbiting lab. 

The astronauts have already immersed themselves in maintaining the space station, inspecting equipment, organising supplies, and assisting with science experiments and technical demonstrations.

They are expected to become full crew members of SpaceX’s 72nd Expedition Crew-9, joining the astronauts scheduled to depart on their mission as early as 24 September. Becoming part of Crew-9 will put them into a structured routine, and their days are planned by the hour.

“Butch and Sunita are fully trained,” said Dana Weigel, NASA’s International Space Station program manager. “They’re capable and current with spacewalking, robotics, and everything we need them to do.”

Voting from space

Another aspect of the unplanned extended stay on the ISS is that both astronauts will vote in the 2024 U.S. presidential election from space.

Wilmore mentioned that he had already requested his ballot, calling it an essential civic duty. Williams echoed this sentiment: “I’m looking forward to voting from space, and that’s pretty cool.”

Food and supplies situation 

There is no indication that the ISS’s food supply will run out soon due to the unusual situation. NASA typically keeps about four months’ worth of food and water supplies aboard the space station.

“We like to keep our options open, so we have some items like clothing … some personal food for (Williams and Wilmore) and things like that,” Bill Spetch, NASA’s operations integration manager for the International Space Station program, said during a press briefing.

Spetch said the Northrop Grumman ship was packed with 8,200 pounds of science experiments and cargo, which included food and produce such as zucchini, radishes, carrots, blueberries, oranges, apples and coffee.

“No one had to go on a diet or restrict calories,” Weigel said.

When things don’t go according to plan

Starliner’s launch to the ISS in June came after years of delays, two uncrewed test flights, and a last-minute abandonment a few days before.

When astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore left Earth for an 8-day mission to the International Space Station, they quietly gave up their bags of toiletries and other personal items for crucial equipment.

However, as the space station approached, it became clear that the original mission plan would have to be changed. Problems with helium leaks and propulsion system outages forced NASA to leave the astronauts on the station until the mission control team resolved the issues.

Williams and Wilmore logged a combined total of 500 days in space before launching on the Starliner test flight. Williams even said that she cried after she left the space station following her last mission in 2012, unsure if she would ever return.