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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Indian-origin Sunita Williams on Friday said it was tough for them to watch their Boeing aircraft return to Earth without them, resulting in them spending additional months on the International Space Station (ISS).
This was the first public reaction from Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were stranded in space since last week’s return of Boeing’s Starliner, which carried them to the ISS in June. The US space agency decided to bring the capsule back without the two astronauts as it was too risky for them to board the problem-plagued capsule.
“It was very difficult at times. There were some tough times,” said NASA astronaut Wilmore. As a spacecraft pilot, “you don’t want it to take off without you, but that’s where we ended up,” he added.
“That’s what happens in this business,” Sunita Williams said, adding that “you have to turn the page and look for the next opportunity.”
Both astronauts are now full crew members of the station, participating in routine maintenance and experiments. Williams will take command of the space station in just a few weeks.
The pair welcomed a Soyuz spacecraft earlier this week along with seven others, including two Russians and an American, temporarily raising the station’s passenger count to 12, a record.
Two more astronauts are scheduled to fly on SpaceX later this month; two capsule seats will be left empty for Wilmore and Williams for the return trip, which is close to a record.
The transition to station life “wasn’t that hard” because the two had lived there before, Williams said, adding that she did two long-duration stays aboard the space station several years ago.
“This is my happy place. I love being in space,” Williams said.
Wilmore said that even if his adjustment wasn’t immediate, it was “pretty close.”
The astronauts said they appreciated all the prayers and well wishes they received from strangers at home, and that it helped them cope with all they will lose at home.
It is important to note that their Starliner capsule marked Boeing’s first space flight with astronauts. It suffered multiple thruster failures and helium leaks before arriving at the space station on June 6. It landed safely in the New Mexico desert earlier this month.
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