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It sounds like a commercial for a scary science fiction or horror movie: two astronauts are stranded in space and their crewless spaceship returned to Earth two weeks ago without them.
That’s the scenario that played out when Boeing’s Starliner capsule dropped astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore off the International Space Station on Sept. 6 and landed successfully at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
But for the two seasoned astronauts stuck on the ISS, the situation isn’t nearly as Hollywood-scary as it sounds. Here’s how.
Who are the astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts, both Navy officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998 and Wilmore since 2000. Both have extensive experience in space.
Williams is the former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time by a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). In 2007, she ran the first marathon by a person in space.
In 2009, Wilmore piloted the space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to the ISS, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to create a tool in space: a ratchet wrench. This was the first time humans had ever manufactured something off Earth.
What do the astronauts say?
During a live press conference On Friday, Williams said that while they knew their mission would last only eight days, they had both “trained for a number of years” and are fully qualified to stay in space for extended periods of time, and to help pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will bring them home next year.
“It’s very peaceful here,” Williams said, though she added that they miss their families back on Earth.
The astronauts will work on research, maintenance and data analysis during their extended stay. They also plan to voices from space in the presidential election in November.
“We are having a great time here on the ISS,” Williams said at a press conference held from space in July. “I’m not complaining. Butch’s not complaining that we’re here a couple extra weeks.”
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams answer questions from the media in March.
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 Starliner. They launched on June 5 and docked with the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes that Starliner will provide the agency with a new way to get crews to and from the ISS, and the fact that it is made by Boeing is another sign that NASA is starting to lean on the private sector for its human spaceflight options, The New York Times reported.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission was supposed to last just eight days, during which they would test aspects of Starliner and see how it works with a human crew in space. But due to complications with Starliner, the two astronauts are still out there and won’t return until 2025. They’ve been busy — working with the ISS Expedition 71 crew to conduct research and maintenance activities, NASA said.
How did they get stuck in space?
The Starliner was delayed in May by a valve problem in the rocket, and engineers then had to repair a helium leak. It’s all bad news for Boeing, which is competing with SpaceX, which has been ferrying astronauts to the ISS since 2020 and has made more than 20 successful trips to the space station.
Starliner finally launched, atop an Atlas V rocket, on June 5, but it was not without its problems. NASA announced that three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before the flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew also had to troubleshoot faulty control thrusters, although the craft was able to dock successfully with the ISS.
SpaceX has had its share of failures, too. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its launch pad in 2016. In July, a Falcon 9 rocket suffered a liquid oxygen leak and placed satellites in the wrong orbit, The New York Times reportedAnd last week, a Falcon 9 rocket lost a first-stage booster when it hit the Atlantic Ocean and burst into flames.
But that said, SpaceX has over 300 successful Falcon 9 flights to its credit.
When and how do the astronauts get home?
NASA quickly reported that the astronauts were not in danger.
“There is no rush to bring the crew home,” NASA said said in a statement last month. “This is a lesson learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. Our NASA and Boeing teams are reviewing data from additional testing and analysis in space and on the ground, and are providing mission managers with data to make the best and safest decision about how and when to return the crew home.”
NASA announced on August 24 that it had decided to send Starliner back to Earth without a crew. The spacecraft landed safely in New Mexico on September 6.
Wilmore and Williams will be brought home early next year aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft and “formally continue their work as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025,” the space agency said. said in a statement. “They are flying home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.”
That mission will not launch until Sept. 24, NASA said. Originally, there were to be four crew members on board for launch, but two will now remain behind to make room for Wilmore and Williams’ return trip.
“Space flight is risky, even in the safest and most routine ways,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Aug. 24. “A test flight is by its nature neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and to bring Boeing’s Starliner home unmanned is a result of our commitment to safety — our core value and our North Star.”
Stuck in Space: A Timeline
- May: The Starliner launch was 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: Starliner docks with the ISS despite three helium leaks and failed control engines.
- September 6: Starliner leaves ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
- Starting September 24: SpaceX Crew-9 mission launches with two crew members in a Dragon spacecraft.
- Starting in March 2025: The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth carrying Williams, Wilmore and two other astronauts.
