Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more.
CNN
—
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore left Earth for the International Space Station two months ago, they ditched their backpacks for a piece of vital equipment. Helming the inaugural crew of Boeing’s Starliner space shuttle for a flight test, they took off without their own toilets and other personal amenities — expecting to return to Earth within a week.
They have now been aboard the space station for more than 60 days, and NASA raised the possibility this week that they will remain there until early 2025 due to problems with their Starliner capsule.
Such an extension is not certain, as NASA officials hope to resolve some disagreements within the space agency over the Starliner’s safety. According to NASA, a decision should be made by mid-August.
But NASA has indicated that if the Starliner is deemed unsafe and they have to fall back on Plan B, a month-long continuation may be necessary, with the astronauts coming home aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule instead.
What exactly will Williams and Wilmore do in space for another six months?
Currently both are guests. They were not part of Expedition 71 International team Seven astronauts serve as official employees of the space station. Nevertheless, NASA said they have been seamlessly integrated with the team, choosing to carry out day-to-day tasks at the orbiting laboratory.
But if their stay is extended into February and the Starliner is unable to bring them home, NASA said, Williams and Willmore will become full-time crew members.
They will carry out routine crew tasks outside the space station, such as conducting spacewalks, maintaining the orbiting laboratory and carrying out a tight schedule of science experiments.
NASA confirmed that Starliner astronauts are ready for such a transition.
“A few years ago, we made a decision — knowing this was an experimental flight — to make sure we had the right resources, supplies and training for the crew if they were to stay on the ISS, for whatever reason, for an extended period of time,” said NASA’s International Space Station program manager. Dana Weigel said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“Butch and Suni are fully trained,” Weigel added. “They are capable and current in EVA (space walks), robotics, all the things we need them to do.”
Nothing is certain, but NASA indicated for the first time Wednesday that it is considering flying the Boeing Starliner spacecraft home empty-handed.
But that won’t leave Williams and Wilmore in space indefinitely. They will be assigned a ride home on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
Crew-9 — a routine trip to the space station to replenish the crew — is currently scheduled to fly with four astronauts: NASA astronauts Gina Cartman, Nick Hack and Stephanie Wilson, and cosmonaut Alexander Korbunov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Under NASA’s contingency plan for Starliner, two of those astronauts will be launched from the mission, though officials have not disclosed who those four crew members might be.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft will fly to the International Space Station with two empty seats — a departure earlier than September 24, based on the most recent dates shared by NASA.
To maintain the Crew Dragon’s center of gravity, along with the two empty seats on the Crew-9, hunks of metal will fly to act as ballast, or dead weight.
Two Crew-9 astronauts will later join Williams and Willmore aboard the space station, and the four will round out the cast of Expedition 72, which includes additional Russian astronauts and is scheduled to launch in September after a handover period.
As is typical for missions to the space station that join a mission, the Crew-9 astronauts will be on board for about five or six months — leaving Williams and Wilmore in space for another half year in addition to the two months they’ve already completed. Spent in space.
Once part of Crew-9, they fall into a structured routine, drawing out their days hour by hour.
Already, astronauts have fallen into that daily grind. Williams and Willmore have used their time so far to assist with space station maintenance, inspecting hardware, organizing cargo, conducting experiments on Starliner, and assisting with science experiments and technical demonstrations, according to NASA’s latest updates.
Williams and Wilmore, however, have a chance to have some fun in microgravity. NASA shared the footage Astronauts carry a plastic torch around the space station on July 26 while replicating Olympic events including the discus and pommel horse. (Exercise is an important task for astronauts to keep from losing too much muscle and bone density while in space.)
Williams, for the record, has already proven his chops as a unique space athlete.
In 2012, during a previous mission to the International Space Station, he became the first person to complete a triathlon in space. Williams used a stationary bike, simulated swimming with a weight-lifting machine and ran on a treadmill so she wouldn’t float while strapped into a harness.
That feat came after running the Boston Marathon from the space station in 2007.
Williams and Wilmore logged a total of 500 days in space before the Starliner test flight. Williams said she cried after leaving the space station following her last mission in 2012, unsure if she would ever return.
“This flight is a dream come true for her,” said a NASA commentator during Starliner’s live broadcast on June 5. launch.
It’s not uncommon for astronauts to unexpectedly extend their stay on the space station — by days, weeks or even months.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, is scheduled to spend about six months aboard the International Space Station for his inaugural mission to low-Earth orbit, which begins in September 2022. Instead he logged 371 days in space after discovering a coolant leak. Comes from his original ride – a Russian Soyuz capsule – when docked to the orbital outpost.
Rubio’s one-year tenure set the American record for most days spent in orbit.
Astronauts routinely extend their stays on the station for several days at a time for a variety of factors, including poor Earth weather or other schedule adjustments.
Flying to the space station without the suitcases they packed for their mission may have complicated the Starliner astronauts’ long-term comfort. NASA decided to remove their luggage from the space station to make room for a much-needed pump to fix a malfunctioning toilet on the space station.
The two astronauts may finally get some relief after the Northrop Grumman cargo delivery mission arrived at the space station on Tuesday.
“We want to keep our options open, so we have some items like clothing … some personal food items (Williams and Wilmore), things like that,” He said Bill Spetch, NASA’s operations coordination manager for the International Space Station program, during a news conference last week.
And there’s no sign of the food supply slowing down anytime soon. Northrop Grumman is packed on board 8,200 lbs Science Experiments and Inventory is a food product that includes foods such as squash, radishes, carrots, blueberries, oranges, apples, and coffee.
However, NASA must make a quick decision about Williams and Wilmore’s return — or integration into normal crew rotation — because the space station’s stores of food and other resources are not unlimited.
“When they’re up there, we have extra workers, we have extra hands, and they can do a lot more work. But they’re using more consumables and more stuff,” Ken Bowersachs, NASA’s associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate, said Wednesday. .
“At some point, we have to bring those people home and return to a normal crew size on the ISS,” he added.
