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Throughout history, the possibility of space travel ending in disaster has been a grim reality. Take the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster as an example. Not even two minutes after its takeoff, the Challenger shuttle broke apart, resulting in the tragic death of all seven crew members on board. This was the first of several space disasters, including the accidents involving the Columbia space shuttle, Apollo 1, Apollo 13, and many more. Besides real-life disasters, movies like “The Martian” have warned humanity about the dangers of exploration outside Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA is currently experiencing another one of these space disasters, and while not fatal, it is still a jarring situation. On June 5th, 2024, veteran NASA astronauts Sunita Wiliams and Barry Wilmore were launched into space as the first crew to conduct the inaugural test flight of Boeing's Starliner space capsule. While initially an eight-day mission, NASA engineers encountered a helium leak and identified issues with the capsule's thrusters. As a result, they determined that the safest course of action was to have the astronauts remain on the International Space Station and let the capsule return to Earth on its own.
Sunita and Barry are expected to return to Earth in February 2025, eight months later than originally planned. They will be using a SpaceX spacecraft, a competitor of Boeing. Three weeks ago, the Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth without the astronauts on board, allowing NASA to investigate the problems that arose. Barry Wilmore has also acknowledged that they identified some issues with the spacecraft before they embarked on their space mission.
Space has always been messy, and luckily, astronauts are trained, especially in situations like the one Sunita and Barry are in, where space travel might go wrong and strand them in space for longer than expected. Wilmore says that at least 90% of their training is precisely that: preparing for the unexpected. Today, the astronauts can communicate with people on Earth, are safe, and live on the International Space Station with ten other astronauts, including four other US astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts, and two Chinese taikonauts. While they may not have expected to be stranded for so long, Sunita and Barry are not on holiday and still have work to do.
Their routine consists of waking up at 4:30 for Barry Wilmore and 6:30 for Sunita Williamson, working on jobs ranging from performing maintenance on the ISS to scientific experiments, and doing at least 2 hours of necessary exercise. Due to the effects of microgravity, astronauts are susceptible to muscle and bone density loss, but they also experience relief from muscle aches, a sensation both Sunita and Barry appreciate. As a result, the two hours of exercise are crucial during their time on the ISS. NASA has equipped the ISS with a specialized gym featuring an Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) for weightlifting and a treadmill to prevent the astronauts from floating away.
While the situation is alarming to many, the ISS has enough food, water, and undergarments to last a year, meaning that even if the astronauts were to stay in space for ten months, they would be all perfectly fine. Williams and Wilmore are also former test pilots and military veterans, leaving them well-equipped physically and psychologically to handle this scenario. Remarkably, the pair have expressed gratitude for the extended time in space that being stranded allowed for. Notably, Sunita celebrated her 59th birthday in space on September 19th.
All in all, it’s heartening to hear that Sunita and Barry are faring well in outer space. The only things missing are their families, friends, and pets, but they find solace in the fact that we’re cheering them on down on Earth and praying for their safe return.
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