NASA’s astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore certainly didn’t think they were still in the International Space Station as long as they left the land in June. In fact, they originally hoped to stay in just eight days. And now, then the plans have changed for their return, they return to the land in late March. But in the middle of January, at least one of them will go out – and the other has a plan to do it. Williams joined astronaut Nick Hague for a spacewalk January 16And they Williams and Wilmore are getting ready for a spacewalk together on January 30

On January 16th Spacewalk, Williams and Hague replaced a Gyro Assembly rate that helps maintain orbital outpost orbitals, the ones said. This is the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams. Astronauts also install patches to cover damaged light filters in Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-Ray Telescope, replaced the Refestor Device in one of the international docking adapters, and checks the access areas and Connector tools to use by astronauts for future alpha. Maintenance of the magnetic spectrometer.

On the January 30th Spacewalk, starting at 8 AM ET and lasts six and a half hours, Williams and Wilmore remove the hardware on Radio Antenna and seek the germs outside the orbital outpost.

The two stranded astronauts say that as they miss their families, they still have work to keep them busy.

“Finally we want to go home,” Williams said to a Recent news conference. “We left our families recently, but we do a lot here and we need to do that before we go.”

The February returns to March already

Recently, NASA is returned to Williams and Wilmore’s return to the ground from February to late March.

“NASA and SPACEX checks different options for handling the next submission of crew, including the use of another dragon spacecraft and displaying changes,” according to A Press Release of NASA issued on December 17. “After careful consideration, the team was determined to launch Crew-10 in late March, after completing the new dragon spacecraft, is the best option for meeting NAS ot of space purposes in space for 2025.

The delay is that NASA and Spacex teams will complete the work of new dragon spacecraft on the mission. The new craft launches four crews on ISS – Commander Anne McClain, Commander, Pilot Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. If the new crew was settled, Williams, Wilmore, Astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov returned to the ground.

But Williams and Wilmore do not complain about their duration of stay.

“I love everything about going here,” Williams said In early December. “Living in the atmosphere is very funny.”

Astronauts continue to be busy, with Williams and Wilmore helping other ISS residents in botanical studies in space and other research, According to NASA’s ISS blog. They helped over 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months of riding, The Washington Post reports.

Here’s what you need to know about what two astronauts planned.

Who are astronauts?

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, veterans astronauts and both naval officials and former test pilots. Williams was an astronaut in Since 1998, and Wilmore since 2000. The two had great experience in the space.

Williams is former record holding for most of the spacewalks of a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, he ran first Marathon to any man in the atmosphere.

In 2009, Wilmore pilot the space shuttle atlantis on its mission on ISS, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crews using a 3D printer to make a tool – a ratchet wrench – in the space first time people. makes something out of the world.

What are their original space mission?

Wilmore, as Commander, and Williams, as pilot, traveled to ISS aboard 15-foot-wide, Boeing-made capsule called Starliner. They launched June 5 and took over the ISS on June 6. The NASA is hoping for Starliner the organization a new way to get the crew on and from the ISS, and the fact that it was made of Boeing another sign that NASA started leaning on the private sector for its Human Spaceflight options, The New York Times reported.

Wilmore’s mission and Williams on ISS is only lasting eight days, where they will try starliner aspects and see how a man’s crew in space. But because of starliner complications, two astronauts are still there.

What do astronauts eat?

The ISS food is a major focus, because fresh products should be filled every three months with deliveries from the ground. At that Nov. 23, the unpiloted progress 90 resupply spacecraft is successful on the ISS. But the latest delivery of food has an unwanted smell.

“After opening the Hatch of the Spacecraft in progress, the cosmonauts of the roscosmos noticed an unexpected odor and observed small drops, which prompted the crew of the poisk hatch in the remaining part In Russia, “a NASA representative said to a statement posted on social media.

“Air scrubbers at the space station and contaminant sensors monitor the atmosphere after observation, and on Sunday, the flight controller determines that the air quality is in the space level, “As NASA. “No concerns for the crew, and on Sunday afternoon, crews work to open the hatch between poisk and progress while all other operations at the space station continue.”

NASA exposes that their menu includes cereal with powdered milk, pizza, shrimp cocktails, roast chicken and tuna.

The odorous spacecraft colleague is not the only concern with the food in late, with some publications questioning the thin astronauts based on new pictures.

Dr. JD POLK, NASA’s principal health and medical officer, makes an official statement that says Williams and Wilmore are fine. “NASA and our partners are safe conducting long-term missions aboard the orbital laboratory for decades for decades, which we have been preparing for exploration. “Polk said. “The health of the crew is often monitored by dedicated surgeons to fly, and they have an individual regime of food and health to ensure that they remain healthy with their expeditions.”

Williams said that he had the same weight as he arrived at the atmosphere, in a Video interview made Nov. 12 on ISS.

What do astronauts say?

Astronauts are positive in their experience. In a Live News Conference In September, Williams said that despite knowing that their mission was scheduled for only eight days, both “trained for many years” for it. They are eligible to stay in space for a long time, and to help pilot spacecraft in the SpaceX dragon to bring them home next year.

“It is very peaceful here,” says Williams on September 13, though he added that they miss their families back to earth.

Astronauts work in research, maintaining and assessing data on their long stay.

“We have a great time here on ISS,” says Williams In a news conference made from orbit in July. “I didn’t complain. Butch didn’t complain that we had a long time for a few more weeks.”

How are they trapped in the atmosphere at first?

the Starliner is delayed in May due to the rocket valve problem. Then the engineers need to fix a helium leak. That’s all bad news for Boeing. it competes with spacexwhich has been done Bring astronauts to ISS Since 2020, it produces over 20 successful travel station trips.

Starliner finally launched, on top of an atlas v rocket, on June 5, but some problems accompanied them. NASA announced this three helium leaks recognized, one of which is known before flying, and two new. In addition to the leaks, the crew should troubleshoot failed control thrusters, even if the craft was successful in the ISS.

Spacex has failures as well. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded at Launchpad in 2016. In July this year, a Falcon 9 rocket experienced liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellites in error orbit, the new York Times reported. And a falcon 9 rocket in late August lost a first-stage booster when it fell into the Atlantic Ocean and burnt.

But like that, spacex has more than 300 successful Flying to Falcon 9 to his credit.

Trapped in the atmosphere: a timeline

• May: Starliner’s launch is delayed because of a problem with a rocket valve, and then a drop in helium.
• June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore aboard.
• June 6: Starliner dries on ISS despite facing three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
• Sept. 6: Starliner left the ISS and landed in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore.
• September 28: Spacex Crew-9 mission launched with Hague and Gorbunov in a dragon spacecraft.
• September 29: The Spacex Dragon is on the ISS.
• DECEMBER 17: NASA announced the launch of four crews on ISS to be delayed from February to late March.
• March 2025 Continue: Spacex dragon spacecraft returns to the ground with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.