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When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore left Earth for the International Space Station two months ago, they traded in their suitcases for essential equipment. Leading the inaugural crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, they set out without their own toiletries and other personal comforts — expecting to return to Earth within a week or so.
However, they have already been at the space station for more than 60 days, and NASA this week raised the possibility that they could remain there until early 2025 due to ongoing problems with their Starliner capsule.
Such an extension is not certain, with NASA officials hoping to resolve some disagreements within the space agency over Starliner’s safety. The decision, according to NASA, should be made by mid-August.
But NASA has indicated that a months-long continuation may be necessary if Starliner is deemed unsafe and they need to revert to Plan B, with the astronauts returning home aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
So what exactly would Williams and Wilmore do for another six months in space?
Currently, both are guests. They are not part of Expedition 71, the international crew of seven astronauts serving as the official space station crew. However, NASA said it integrated seamlessly into the group, carrying out daily tasks aboard the orbiting laboratory.
But if their stay is extended into February, as NASA said could happen if Starliner is unable to bring them home, Williams and Wilmore will transition to being full-time expedition crew members.
They would take on typical crew duties, such as conducting spacewalks outside the space station, maintaining the laboratory in orbit, and carrying out a tight schedule of scientific experiments.
And NASA has confirmed that Starliner astronauts are prepared to make such a change.
“A few years ago, we made the decision – knowing this was a test flight – to ensure that we would have the appropriate resources, supplies and training for the crew if they needed to be on the ISS for any reason. for an extended period of time,” said Dana Weigel, NASA’s International Space Station Program Manager, during a briefing on Wednesday.
“Butch and Suni are fully trained,” Weigel added. “They are capable and up to date with EVA (spacewalks), with robotics, with all the things we need them to do.”
Joining Crew-9
Nothing is certain, but NASA indicated Wednesday for the first time that it is considering flying the Boeing Starliner spacecraft home empty.
But that wouldn’t leave Williams and Wilmore in space indefinitely. They would receive a ride home on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
Crew-9 – a routine trip to the space station to resupply the expedition team – is currently scheduled to fly with four astronauts: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague and Stephanie Wilson, and Russian space agency cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov Roscosmos.
Under NASA’s contingency plan for Starliner, two of those astronauts would be kicked off the mission, although officials have not revealed which of the four crew members that might be.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft would then fly with two empty seats to the International Space Station — blasting off no earlier than September 24, based on the most recent dates shared by NASA.
Ballast, or pieces of metal that serve as dead weight, would fly alongside Crew-9’s two empty seats to maintain the Crew Dragon’s center of gravity.
The two Crew-9 astronauts would then join Williams and Wilmore aboard the space station, and all four would complete the Expedition 72 cast, which will include additional Russian cosmonauts and is scheduled to begin in September after a handover period.
As is typical for space station missions that join an expedition, the Crew-9 astronauts will remain aboard for about five or six months – leaving Williams and Wilmore in space for another half year on top of the two months they have already spent. . spent in space.
Once integrated into Crew-9, they will enter a structured routine, with their days mapped out hour by hour.
Olympics in orbit
Astronauts have already engaged in some of this daily work. Recent updates from NASA said Williams and Wilmore have used their time so far for space station maintenance, inspecting hardware, organizing cargo, performing checks on the Starliner and assisting with science experiments and technology demonstrations.
Williams and Wilmore, however, also had opportunities for fun in microgravity. NASA shared images of astronauts on July 26 as they passed a plastic torch around the space station and imitated Olympic events, including discus and pommel horse. (Working out is a key task for astronauts to avoid losing too much muscle and bone density while in space.)
Williams, for the record, has already proven her talent as a standout space athlete.
In 2012, during a previous trip to the International Space Station, she became the first person to finish a triathlon in space. Williams used a stationary bike, simulated swimming with a weight-lifting machine and ran on a treadmill tied to a harness so he wouldn’t float.
This feat came after she ran the Boston Marathon from the space station in 2007.
Williams and Wilmore logged a combined total of 500 days in space before launching on the Starliner test flight. Williams even said she cried after leaving the space station following her last mission in 2012, not knowing if she would ever return.
“This flight is a dream for her,” said a NASA commentator during a Starliner live broadcast on June 5. to throw.
Extended stays in space
It is not uncommon for astronauts to unexpectedly extend your stay aboard the space station – for days, weeks or even months.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, was supposed to spend about six months aboard the International Space Station for his maiden voyage to low-Earth orbit, which began in September 2022. Instead, he logged 371 days in space after the discovery of a refrigerant leak. coming from its original trip – a Russian Soyuz capsule – while docked at the orbiting outpost.
Rubio’s year-long stay ended up setting a U.S. record for the most consecutive days spent in orbit.
Astronauts also routinely extend their stay on the station by several days due to a variety of factors, including bad weather on Earth or other schedule adjustments.
Without suitcase
Flying to the space station without the suitcases they had packed for the mission may have complicated the comfort of the Starliner astronauts’ extended stay. NASA opted to remove the spacecraft’s luggage to make room for a much-needed pump to fix a faulty toilet aboard the space station.
The two astronauts may have finally received a reprieve after a Northrop Grumman cargo resupply mission arrived at the space station on Tuesday.
“We like to keep our options open, so we have some items like clothing… some personal food for (Williams and Wilmore), things like that,” he said Bill Spetch, NASA operations integration manager for the International Space Station Program, during a press conference last week.
And there is no indication that the food supply will dwindle any time soon. Packed along the Northrop Grumman ship 8,200 pounds of the scientific experiments and cargo was a food haul that included meals and produce such as pumpkin, radishes, carrots, blueberries, oranges, apples and coffee, according to Spetch.
Still, NASA must make a quick decision about whether to return Williams and Wilmore — or integrate into the normal crew rotation — because the space station’s reserves of food and other resources are not unlimited.
“While they are up there, we have extra staff, extra hands and they can work a lot more. But they’re also consuming more consumables, more supplies,” Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said Wednesday.
“At some point,” he added, “we need to bring these people home and get back to normal crew size on the ISS.”
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