Two hundred and fifty miles away, two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stranded aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S). After an unexpected turn in their test flight, the two brave astronauts have been stuck in space for months on the Boeing Starliner when the trip was intended to last for just one week.
Phys.org, a science news report site, said that the cause of this delay was due to the ship’s equipment malfunctioning which was a concern after many failed test runs. The ship had multiple helium leaks during testing which are also a contribution to some of the current problems in the final launch rocket. This, plus the many major scandals of the Boeing company’s failures in recent years have begged questions about the company’s ability in engineering and their technological capabilities. Their recent failure with their commercial airplanes and having a door fly off during a flight, have left the company with an image changing for the worse.
According to a BBC article, there were a handful of problems encountered leading up to the eventual failure of the ship yet they went through with this launch. NASA and Boeing have said that they are using this time to figure out specifics of what went wrong and how to get the space goers back, but Williams and Wilmore are not expected to be brought back until February of 2025, courtesy of SpaceX’s spaceship, Dragon. Luckily, there are still resources like oxygen, food and water with deliveries having been made for the last two.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are making waves with their story. Especially being able to participate in the presidential election by voting all the way from space with an electronic ballot. Thankfully, they are also able to communicate with those who are working to help them. They recently had a live interview form on board and informed people that they were doing just fine. Sunita Williams was the first woman to run a marathon in space back in 2007. Now at 58 years old, she has walked over fifty hours in space.
Butch Wilmore has piloted space ships to the I.S.S. a couple times. Piloting the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2009 as well as being a part of the crew to be the first ever to manufacture something not on Earth.
These stacked resumes have left them very prepared for their extended stay aboard the ISS. Both are well trained and very experienced with space travel as astronauts for over twenty years.
This story is as exciting as it is nerve wracking. This I.S.S. test trip gone wrong reveals the hazardous products of the Boeing company as well as the story of the two brave astronauts having a peaceful time up in space. Sending prayers for their safe return back to their families, whom they miss very much.