NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams splashed down into the Gulf of Mexico on March 18, marking the end of a mission that was supposed to last a week but extended to nine months. The extension drew widespread attention as people expressed concern for the astronauts, who were not expecting to be gone for so long.
On June 5, 2024, Wilmore and Williams participated in a test flight launch in Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. The mission suffered several technical problems, leading to NASA’s decision to send the Starliner back to Earth empty in early September. As a result, Wilmore and Williams became part of the space crew rotation at the International Space Station, extending their return date.
Wilmore and Williams were in space for 286 days, which was 278 days longer than anticipated, according to a March 18 AP News article. While the extended mission placed a strain on their families and their bodies, it also allowed the astronauts to conduct more than 150 scientific experiments and log more than 900 hours of research, according to a March 18 NASA article.
During their time in space, Williams set a new record for the total spacewalking hours by a female astronaut, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes across nine spacewalks. She now ranks fourth in the all-time spacewalk duration list, according to a March 18 NASA article.
The delayed return of the astronauts sparked some controversy. Elon Musk suggests that the two astronauts had been “abandoned” in space for political reasons, claiming that the Biden administration chose to keep them in space longer than necessary. Both the astronauts and NASA officials have denied these claims.
“That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck–and I get it,” Wilmore said, speaking to CNN on Feb. 13. “We both get it. But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about. We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded.”
Both Wilmore and Williams emphasized that they were aware of the risks involved in participating in the test flight and were prepared for the possibility of unforeseen complications. Williams reiterated that they didn’t expect NASA to send another ship just for them and understood that logistically, returning with another crew made sense.
Following the astronaut’s return, the White House tweeted how President Trump fulfilled his promise to rescue the astronauts with the help of Musk, SpaceX and NASA. However, a March 18 CBS article explained that NASA’s original plan since September was for them to return with the Crew-9 in March.
Despite the challenges and controversies surrounding their extended mission, Wilmore and Williams embraced the opportunity to contribute to scientific research and human space exploration.
