NASA has finally updated us on the plight of two astronauts stranded in space, as the extended stay of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams could soon be at an end.
The pair arrived at the International Space Station in June 2024, hoping to be part of a quick eight-day mission. Before heading back to Earth, the astronauts learned that five of the Boeing Starliner’s maneuvering thrusters had stalled. There were apparently five helium leaks and a faulty propellant valve that left them stranded aboard the ISS with the rest of its long-standing crew.
NASA said it would be unsafe for Wilmore and Williams to journey home on the faulty craft, leaving them marooned aboard the ISS until they're picked up by the SpaceX Crew-9. They were finally supposed to touch back down in February 2025, but due to a delayed launch, because NASA brought back the damaged Boeing Starliner Calypso spacecraft, it's now pencilled in for March.
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Several setbacks like the SpaceX Dragon capsule not being ready have seen them spend more than six months on the ISS, meaning Wilmore and Williams were even forced to spend Christmas Day up in the stars. To be honest, we can think of worse places to be.
Speaking to NASA leaders (via Sky News), Wilmore and Williams have updated us on their situation. When asked if they feel like Tom Hanks' Chuck Noland from the iconic Cast Away, the astronauts said they 'do not feel like castaways', although Williams reiterated: "Eventually we wanna go home. We left our families a little while ago."
At least they're keeping busy, with Williams adding: "But we have a lot to do up here and we have to get that stuff done before we go."
Boeing has insisted the astronauts aren't 'stuck', with Williams even going as far as calling the ISS her 'happy place'.
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There were previous concerns about their health, especially Williams' seemingly dramatic weight loss. Experts said that while it might look shocking, both are likely experiencing the effects of extended time in space.
NASA has stepped in to assure worried onlookers that astronauts aboard the ISS undergo regular medical evaluations and have dedicated flight surgeons who monitor them.
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Wilmore and Williams have missed plenty back here on Earth, and as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas, they didn't get to witness the U.S. election - although they were able to vote.
More recently, they've managed to avoid the harrowing wildfires that are spreading across Los Angeles.
The astronauts claim that their current orbit means they've yet to see the wildfires from space, although they'll take pictures and send them home when they can.
Despite the plight of Wilmore and Williams capturing the attention of the world, their elongated stay in space is far from the longest anyone's been up there.
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NASA astronaut Frank Rubio broke records for the longest time an American has spent in space following a 371-day trip in 2023, but even this pales in comparison to Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov spending an eye-watering 437 days up there in the '90s.
Williams might be missing most of her daughter's final year at high school, but at least she's not Polyakov.