NASA -astronauter Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore has been at the International Space Station for more than eight months, though they initially expected to stay for almost eight days. But it’s finally time to get home. A relief for ISS is expected to launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday night, and Williams and Wilmore should be on their way home as early as March 16.
The new crew running towards ISS consists of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
When they arrive, there will be a two-day transfer period, and then Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will be on its way back to Earth.
On March 7, William’s command of ISS turned to Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin as she prepares to return home.
‘We are not stuck’
Williams told PBS Newshour recently that they are not feeling abandoned by NASA.
“Obviously, there is a lot of discussion about it, so maybe people could imagine that this is how we are, but we are not stuck,” she said. “We’re part of a bigger process, right?”
When asked about the practicality of suddenly being in the room much longer than expected without extra supplies, Wilmore said it was not a problem.
“We launched with fewer clothes if you want, and it was intentional,” he said. “We brought up a little extra gear – the necessary space station. We brought it up with us. So we took off some of our clothes. We should only be here for a week or so.
“But we did it. It wasn’t a big deal, honest. The space station program is planning for more eventualities. We store food to last four months beyond what’s expected, least. Some – most times it’s longer than that, food and other facilities, wet wipes, everything you need here.”
Wilmore told PBS that he is able to talk to his family from space and noticed that he not only talks to his two daughter, but to the girlfriend of his youngest daughter.
“As a father of daughters, it’s my responsibility,” he said.
Read more: NASA’s first interactive twitch stream shows how much astronauts love coffee
Record Spacewalk
Because their stay was expanded, Williams set a record. She walked on a 5-hour 26-minute spacewalk with Wilmore, and with that walk, the record set by a woman set up by a woman for time on space walks. According to Space.com, Williams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of space walking and exceeds former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who had 60 hours and 21 minutes.
On this latest space walk, the two worked to finally remove a defective radio communications unit, one that astronauts of two previous space walks were unable to remove.
Williams previously collaborated with astronaut Nick Hague on a space walk on January 16. On that space walk, Williams and Hague replaced a speed GYRO assembly that helps preserve the orientation of Orbital Outpost, NASA said. Astronauts also installed patches to cover damaged areas with lightweight filters on Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray file cup, replaced a reflector unity on one of the international docking adapters and controlled access areas and plug tools that astronauts will use for future maintenance of alpha-magnet spectrometer.
NASA -astrronaut Suni Williams is seen outside the International Space Station under 16 January 2025, Spacewalk.
Who are the astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts and are both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astrronaut since 1998 and Wilmore since 2000. Both have plenty of experience in space.
Williams is the former record holder for most space walks of a woman (seven) and most space hiking time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007 she ran the first marathon of any person in the room.
In 2009, Wilmore Space Shuttle Atlantis piloted on his mission to ISS, and in 2014 he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to manufacture a tool-a ratchet screw key-in space, the first time people produced something off-world.
What was their original mission in space?
Wilmore, as commander, and Williams, as a pilot, traveled to ISS on a 15-foot wide, Boeing-made capsule called Starliner. They were launched on June 5 and rooted with ISS on June 6th. NASA HOPES Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to and from 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 space opportunities, the New York Times reported.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS missions should last only eight days where 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 up there.
Wilmore and Williams answer media questions back in March.
How did they get stuck in the room in the first place?
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. It is competing with SpaceX, which has transported astronauts to ISS since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.
On June 5, Starliner finally launched at the top of an Atlas V rocket, but some problems came with the launch. 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 unsuccessful controls, although the vessel was able to dock with ISS.
SpaceX has also had mistakes. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded on Launchpad in 2016. In July this year, a Falcon 9 -rocket experienced a floating oxygen leak and put his satellites in the wrong course, the New York Times reported. In addition, at the end of August, a Falcon 9 rocket lost a first-step booster as it overturned into the Atlantic and fired fire.
But that said, SpaceX has more than 300 successful Falcon 9 aircraft for its credit.
Stuck in space: A timeline
- May: The Starliner launch delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket, and then a helium leak.
- June 5: Starliner is launched with Williams and Wilmore on board.
- June 6: Starliner dock with ISS despite having treated three helium leaks and failed controls.
- September 6: Starliner departs ISS and lands in New Mexico and leaves Williams and Wilmore afterwards.
- September 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Mission is launched with Hague and Gorbunov on a dragon room vessel.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon Docks with ISS.
- December 17: NASA announces the launch of four crew to ISS will be delayed from February to the end of March.
- March 12: The new crew, NASA astronauts, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, are expected to be launched for ISS.
- About March 16: SpaceX Dragon -The space vessel returns to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.