Sunita Williams completes 6 months in space, to remain on ISS till February

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore just completed six months on the International Space Station, on a mission which was initially scheduled for just one week

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck in space for almost six months now, and they are likely to remain there for another more months. They were the first to fly Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), where they continue to remain stranded.

 

The voyage began on June 5, and it was planned for only one week, but it has been six months now. The capsule started to develop engine problems and leaks, and consequently, Nasa declared the capsule unsafe for the return journey.

 

The mission now won't be completed until February 2025.

 

 

Nasa, however, objects to the use of the terms "stuck" or "stranded." The two former Navy captains also rejected such a description of their situation. While accepting their circumstances, Butch Wilmore views it as a sort of detour, stating, “We’re just on a different path."

 

His mission partner, Sunita Williams, told students from an elementary school named for her in Needham, Massachusetts, “I like everything about being up here.”

 

"Just living in space is super fun,” she added.

William-Wilmore likely to return in February

This is not the first time these two astronauts have been in space, which is why they quickly became a fully integrated crew, assisting with science experiments and chores such as broken toilets, vacuuming air vents, and watering plants. Williams took over as station commander in September.

 

Boeing returned their Starliner capsule in September, and Nasa reassigned Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX voyage expected to bring the duo back in late February.

 

Wilmore and Williams, like the other station crew, are trained astronauts for spacewalks and other unforeseen scenarios.

 

Associate Administrator Jim Free stated, “When the crews go up, they know they could be there for up to a year.”

Wilmore and Williams' advice ‘invaluable’: Boeing

Boeing asserts that Wilmore and Williams' advice has been invaluable in continuing the investigation into what went wrong. The firm is now preparing for Starliner's next voyage, declining to say when it may fly again.

Williams and Wilmore manage space and family

Williams utilises the space station treadmill to promote events in her home state. She also took part in Cape Cod's 7-mile Falmouth Road Race in August and participated in the 2007 Boston Marathon.

 

She brings a New England Patriots shirt and a Red Sox spring training shirt with her to games.

 

Her husband, Michael Williams, a retired federal marshal and former Navy aviator, is caring for their dogs back home in Houston. She said, “Hopefully I’ll be home before that happens -- but you never know.”

 

Wilmore, 61, is missing their younger daughter's senior year in high school and his older daughter's theatre productions in college.

 

Wilmore's wife, Deanna Wilmore, said, “We can’t deny that being unexpectedly separated, especially during the holidays when the entire family gets together, brings increased yearnings to share the time and events together.”

 

“We are certainly looking forward to February!!” she added.