Astronauts Stranded by Boeing Discuss Challenging Extended Stay in Space

In their first press conference since being stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams gave an inside look at life in unexpected long-duration spaceflight.

The Daily Mail reports that veteran astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams launched to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 6, expecting to spend about a week in orbit before returning to Earth. But a series of technical issues with Starliner forced NASA to make the difficult decision to leave Wilmore and Williams on the station indefinitely, pending a rescue flight from SpaceX no earlier than February 2025.

In a live video interview from the ISS on Friday, the astronauts opened up about the challenges — both logistical and emotional — of having their mission timeline suddenly extended by many months. “This is not easy,” Wilmore acknowledged. “There have been some trying times.”

For Wilmore, the delayed return means missing milestones in his daughters’ lives. His youngest is a high school senior, while his oldest just started college. “I didn’t get the summer with [my oldest] before she left,” he said. “They’re gonna learn from this, and they’re gonna grow from this. But I was hoping to be there with them.”

Williams said she misses simple pleasures like walking her dogs and hearing the sounds of nature in the morning. However, she finds peace gazing at the Earth through the station’s windows. “It takes you to a different place, it’s very peaceful up here.”

Both astronauts emphasized how their Navy backgrounds prepared them to adapt to changing circumstances. “We’re not surprised when deployments get changed,” said Williams. “It’s risky and that’s how it goes in the business.”

But nothing could fully prepare them for watching Starliner, their ride home, depart the station without them on board. The spacecraft experienced multiple system failures after launch, including propulsion issues and helium leaks. Ultimately, NASA determined it was too risky to bring Wilmore and Williams back on Starliner as planned.

“We found things we could not get comfortable with,” Wilmore explained. He believes more time may have allowed engineers to resolve the issues, but “we simply ran out of time.” Starliner made a safe but uncrewed landing on September 7.

When asked if they feel let down by NASA and Boeing after the avoidable situation that has upended their lives, Wilmore was quick to defend the agencies. “Absolutely not,” he said, pointing to the NASA logo on Williams’ shirt. “That represents something that we stand for as an agency — we go beyond, we do things that are out of the ordinary.”

The astronauts credited their training for giving them the resilience and skills to handle this unexpected situation. 90% of astronaut training focuses on preparing for “the unexpected,” according to Wilmore. “You have to go with what the good Lord gives you, whatever that is.”

Despite putting on a brave face, extended time in space takes a mental and physical toll. Astronauts in past long-duration and isolation experiments have experienced depression, irritability, and motivation decline — a phenomenon known as the “third quarter blues.” However, if Wilmore and Williams are feeling the strain, they didn’t let it show in the upbeat press conference.

For now, the stranded astronauts are making the best of their extended off-planet adventure, knowing their families understand the risks that come with the job. As Williams put it, “We are tasked and we learn and we train to handle all types of different situations.” Flexibility, positivity and perseverance are key for this crew as they navigate an unprecedented challenge and await their long-awaited ride home.