Upon starting their space mission in June 2024, astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore likely had no idea that their eight-day stay at the ISS would extend into months.
They had technical problems with the Boeing spacecraft they flew in, including a helium leak. The two astronauts had to remain in space as a result. The trip to their potential home has already been postponed multiple times. NASA now anticipates that they will return home in March.
The American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were stranded in space for nearly eight months.
— Missing chole (@CholeMissing) February 12, 2025
In June 2024, they took Boeing's "Starliner" to the International Space Station and were originally scheduled to carry out an 8-day mission. pic.twitter.com/F1exWXPy3n
Using the Crew-10 mission, Williams and Wilmore will be transported.
Elon Musk and SpaceX were summoned by President Donald Trump to “go get them” after he accused Biden’s administration of deserting the two astronauts.
The arrival of Elon is imminent. I hope everyone is safe,” Trump remarked. “Good luck, Elon!”
Musk said that he will do so on X.
But according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, the astronauts are not stuck, despite what the media portrays them as. “The party line at NASA is that the astronauts are not stranded,” he emphasizes, stating that “it’s way overblown.”
According to McDowell, “they’re fine.” They adore doing spacewalks, and they just got to do one more. On the next ride, they will return home.
NASA reassures the public that Williams and Wilmore are in good spirits and that their basic requirements, like as food and clothing, are being met despite being in an uncontrollable circumstance.
“It has been a pleasure to work up here,” Williams stated on a call.
We don’t feel like we’re discarded. We left our family a while ago, so eventually we want to return home, but we have a lot to do up here.
The astronauts are actually in space performing a number of everyday tasks, including spacewalks and experiments.
As was to be expected, the public and media demanded to know how much they would be compensated for their excessive stay.
But we wouldn’t anticipate the response.
A retired NASA astronaut named Cady Coleman told the Washingtonian that, in addition to their pay, astronauts receive the same compensation as any other federal employee traveling anywhere in the world on business.
She stated that they are legally required to pay you a small sum of money every day for incidentals.
It was about $4 (£3.19) a day for her.
In this scenario, Wilmore and Williams would only receive an additional $1,004 (£801.27) for their time.
