Astronauts Stranded in Space: What to Know, When They’ll Be Home [CNET]

Butch WIlmore and Suni Williams were supposed to spend eight days on the ISS, but have been there for months now.

It sounds like the plot to a creepy science-fiction/horror movie: two astronauts stranded in space. But the situation involving Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who are currently stuck on the International Space Station, isn’t quite as Hollywood-scary as all that. Let’s break it down.

Who are the astronauts?

Both are veteran 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 plenty of experience in space.

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

In 2009, Wilmore piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS, and in 2014, was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to manufacture a tool — a ratchet wrench — in space, the first time humans manufactured something off-world.

What is their mission?

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

Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission was supposed to last a mere eight days, during which they would test out aspects of Starliner, and see how it operates with a human crew in space. But due to complications with Starliner, the two astronauts are still up there, with no set return date known. They’ve kept busy — working with the ISS Expedition 71 crew to perform research and maintenance activities, NASA says.

Why the delay in returning home?

The Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Then, engineers had to fix a helium leak. That’s all bad news for Boeing, which is competing with SpaceX, which has been transporting astronauts to the ISS since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the ISS.

Starliner finally launched, atop an Atlas V rocket, on June 6, but some problems came along with it. NASA announced that three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew had to troubleshoot failed control thrusters, though the craft was able to successfully dock with the ISS. 

SpaceX has had failures, too. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launchpad in 2016. And in July, a Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellites in the wrong orbit, The New York Times reports. But that said, SpaceX has more than 300 successful Falcon 9 flights to its credit.

Astronauts are safe

NASA is quick to report that the astronauts are not in danger, nor are they totally stuck. 

“There is no rush to bring (the) crew home,” NASA said in a statement. “This is a lesson learned from the space shuttle Columbia accident. Our NASA and Boeing teams are poring over data from additional in-space and ground testing and analysis, providing mission managers data to make the best, safest decision on how and when to return crew home.”

Options for getting the astronauts home

In case of an emergency, Starliner could still get Wilmore and Williams home, NASA reports. Or, if NASA chooses to return Starliner without a crew, the two astronauts would stay with the ISS until late February 2025.

Should that happen, NASA would need to juggle resources. The agency would send two crew members, not four, to the ISS on a SpaceX craft in late September, making two more spaces on that ship, which would return with Wilmore, Williams and the two other crew members early in 2025.

But NASA cautions that no decisions have been made about whether the two astronauts will come home on Starliner, or wait for SpaceX.

What are the astronauts saying?

The astronauts don’t seem to be panicking.

“We are having a great time here on ISS,” Williams said in a news conference held from orbit in July. “I’m not complaining. Butch isn’t complaining that we’re up here for a couple of extra weeks.”

And despite the Starliner problems, Wilmore seems positive about the craft.

“The spacecraft performed unbelievably well,” he said, although noting that the thruster problems of the second day were obvious. “You could tell the thrust control, the capability was degraded,” he said.