After months of being stranded in space, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are speaking out with a heartfelt plea to return home for their loved ones. While their stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has extended far beyond the initial plan, both astronauts remain in good spirits and assured the public that their basic needs like food and clothing are well taken care of.
‘Want to go home’: Stranded NASA astronauts’ heartfelt plea
NASA has rescheduled the return flight initially set for February 2025 to late March at the earliest, resulting in a stay of over nine months in space. Both astronauts, communicating with NASA officials, expressed humour and optimism about their experience but eagerly look forward to reuniting with their families and returning to normal life.
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“It’s just been a joy to be working up here,” Williams remarked during the call. “It doesn’t feel like we’re cast away. Eventually, we want to go home, because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while we’re up here.”
In addition to completing routine operations aboard the ISS, Williams and Wilmore, the two NASA veterans are busy managing a series of scientific experiments scheduled with SpaceX 31, along with upcoming spacewalks that keep their days filled with important work.
Wilmore and Williams share quirky ISS routine
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have found humour in the quirks of life aboard the ISS, from wearing clothes for weeks at a time to managing their eating habits. Wilmore reassured the public about their food supply, quipping, “We are well fed.” This comes after concerns about their health arose following the surfacing of a few photos showing Williams in seemingly poor health, with many experts pointing out that she appears weak and is losing muscle.
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“Clothes fit loosely up here. It’s not like on Earth where you sweat and it gets bad. I mean, they fit loosely. So, you can wear things honestly, for weeks at a time, and it doesn’t bother you at all,” he added.
How long Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will stay in space
The astronauts’ initially scheduled 7-day trip to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner turned into months, and now, almost 7 months later, their extended stay continues due to a technical issue with the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system, which delayed their planned return in June.
As a result, their return flight has been rescheduled for March 2025 at the earliest, with Crew-10 set to launch to rescue them and bring them back to Earth.
