NASA’s ‘Stranded’ Astronauts Are About to Come Home to Earth
NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been on the International Space Station for more than eight months, although they were initially expected to stay for only eight days. But it’s finally time to go home. A relief worker from ISS is expected to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday night, and Williams and Wilmore should return home as early as March 16.
The new crew to the International Space Station consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration astronaut Takuya onishi and Roskosmos astronaut Kirill Peskov.
Upon arrival, there will be a two-day exchange period, and then Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut aleksandr gorbunov will return to Earth.
On March 7, Williams Open the ISS command As she prepares to return home, she is going to Roscosmos astronaut Alexey Ovchinin.
‘We don’t get stuck’
Williams tells PBS Newshour They will not be abandoned by NASA lately.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion about this, so maybe one can imagine that’s our way, but we’re not stuck,” she said. “We’re part of a bigger process, right?”
Asked about the sudden practicality in space much longer than expected without additional supply, Willmore said it wasn’t a problem.
“We did wear fewer clothes to launch if you want, and that was intentional,” he said. “We came up with some extra gear needed – the space station needed. We lifted it up. So we took some clothes off. We’ll only be around here for a week or so.”
“But we did. Honestly, it’s no big deal. The space station plans multiple accidents. We stockpile food beyond expectations for at least four months. Some people (most of the time, it’s better than that of food and other facilities, wet wipes, everything you need.”
Wilmore told PBS that he was able to talk to his family from space, noting that he talked not only to his two daughters’ boyfriend, but also to his youngest daughter’s boyfriend.
He said: “As a father of my daughter, that’s my responsibility.”
Read more: NASA’s first interactive twitch stream shows how many astronauts like coffee
Recording space walks
Williams set a record as their accommodation was extended. She had a five-hour, 26-minute space trip with Wilmore, and with it, she surpassed the record set by a woman to spend time walking on space. According to Space.comWilliams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalk, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has 60 hours and 21 minutes.
In the recent spacewalk, both ended up working to remove a faulty radio communication unit, an astronaut who could not be deleted on two previous spacewalks.
Williams previously worked with astronaut Nick Hague on space January 16. NASA said on that spacewalk, Williams and The Hague replaced the gyroscope assembly, helping to maintain the direction of the orbital outpost. The astronauts also installed patches to cover the damaged light filter area on the NE-Star internal composition Exploter X-ray telescope, replaced the reflector device on an international docking adapter, and inspected the ASTRONAUTS and connector tools that Astronauts will be used for future Alpha magnetometer maintenance.
On January 16, 2025, NASA astronaut Suni Williams was seen outside the International Space Station.
Who is the astronaut?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts, both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998 and has had extensive space experience since 2000.
Williams is the former record holder of most women (seven) and most ladies’ space walking time (50 hours and 40 minutes), and in 2007 she was in the first marathon by anyone in space.
In 2009, Wilmore flew the space shuttle Atlantis on his mission to the International Space Station (ISS), and in 2014 he was part of the ISS crew, using 3D printers to make tools in space (a ratchet wrench), where humans made some tools from isolated worlds for the first time.
What was their initial mission in space?
Wilmore served as commander, Williams, as a pilot, headed to the ISS with 15-foot-wide Boeing-made capsules called Starliner. They started on June 5 and docked with the International Space Station on June 6. NASA hopes Starlinaner will provide the organization with a new way to get crews to and from the International Space Station, and the fact that it is another sign that Boeing is starting to lean towards the private sector to provide its human space space options. Report.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission could have lasted eight days, during which time they will test all aspects of Starliner and see how it works with the human crew in space. But due to complications with Starliner, the two astronauts are still there.
Wilmore and Williams answered media questions in March.
How did they fall into space first?
this Starliner has been postponed In May, there was a problem with the valves in the rocket. The engineer then had to fix the helium leak. This is all bad news from Boeing. It is Compete with SpaceXthat’s Ship astronauts to the International Space Station Since 2020, you can successfully go to the space station.
On June 5, Starliner finally launched some issues on Atlas V Rocket, but the launch event brought some issues. NASA announces this Three helium leaks It was identified that one of them was known before the flight, and two new ones were also found. In addition to the leak, the crew must also troubleshoot the control thruster, although the process is able to successfully dock with the ISS.
SpaceX also failed. one Falcon 9 Rockets exploded On the 2016 Launchpad. In July, the Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellite in the wrong orbit, The New York Times Report. Additionally, the Falcon 9 rocket lost its first phase booster when it entered the Atlantic Ocean in late August On fire.
But that’s why SpaceX has more than 300 successes Falcon 9 Flight Worth commendable.
Stuck in Space: Timeline
- May: Due to problems with valves in the rocket, the launch of Starliner was delayed and helium was leaked.
- June 5: Starliner releases along with Williams and Wilmore.
- June 6: Starliner is on the ISS Pier Terminal despite handling three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
- September 6: Starliner leaves ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
- September 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Mission launches on the Dragon Spacecraft along with Hague and Gorbunov.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon Pier with ISS.
- December 17: NASA announced it will postpone the launch of four crew members from February to late March.
- March 12: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronauts Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov are expected to launch to ISS.
- About March 16: SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft will return to Earth along with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.
