Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Man who spent 340 days in space explains how astronauts 'stranded in space' until 2025 are feeling

Home> News> Science

Updated 11:37 1 Sep 2024 GMT+1Published 15:40 31 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Man who spent 340 days in space explains how astronauts 'stranded in space' until 2025 are feeling

Ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has his say on the astronauts who have stuck in space since 5 June

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

The only person who might know how two stranded astronauts are feeling has provided some insight into the situation.

Starliner's test pilots Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, 61, and Sunita 'Suni' Williams, 58, embarked on what was supposed to be an eight-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS) on 5 June.

But when thruster and leak problems hit Boeing’s Starliner capsule after lift-off, it meant that they wouldn't return as scheduled.

On 8 August, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich, said that the pair's most likely choice could be to hop on Space X Crew-9’s return flight in February 2025, while the Starliner will be undocked and returned back to Earth by itself.

“We have been working with SpaceX to ensure they are ready to respond with Crew-9 as a contingency,” Stich said.

Advert

“We have not formally committed to this path, but we wanted to ensure we had all that flexibility in place.

"Our prime option is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner. However, we have done the requisite planning to make sure we have other options open.

"I think Butch and Suni are ready to do whatever we need them to do."

Meanwhile, ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly - who'd spent almost a year on the ISS from 2015 to 2016 - reckons that the pair are doing just fine up there.

Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams are currently stuck up in space (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams are currently stuck up in space (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Advert

“I knew them before they were astronauts and we were all test pilots in the Navy," he told PEOPLE. "They'll be able to handle it."

Speaking about Williams, he added: “She is a great spirit of a person and I’m sure she’s not minding being up there for more time.

“She’s very enthusiastic about most things.”

Kelly's career in space spanned from 1996 to 2016 when he retired - he knows exactly what it's like to spend so long in space.

“I describe it like a large four-bedroom house but filled with a lot of stuff,” Kelly said.

Advert

“I always felt like I needed more space, not for me but an extra room for the storage situation.”

Ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly knows better than most how they're probably feeling (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
Ex-NASA astronaut Scott Kelly knows better than most how they're probably feeling (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

On how to keep buys, he explained: “You have some personal stuff, you sleep there, you have some computers and things.”

However, he says the hardest thing about being up there is not to get the 'breeze on your face' from the natural outdoors.

"The air is kind of stale inside and it can have a bit of odor depending on where you’re at," Kelly added.

Advert

Thankfully, the two-person crew will have plenty of food supplies if they were to stay up in space for that long.

NASA said their plan was for the two to return on a SpaceX car,

However, there could be another issue potentially facing Williams and Wilmore as NASA also revealed that the spacesuits they'd be wearing for their journey were incompatible with the other aircraft.

Featured Image Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images/MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Space, NASA

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

15 hours ago
16 hours ago
  • 15 hours ago

    Doctor shows how much medicine costs in the US compared to the UK and Australia with shocking results

    Not all healthcare systems were created equal

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    Grim searches prosecutors say alleged killer made before he 'poisoned wife's protein shakes'

    Jurors will also be shown a video of the two arguing shortly before her death

    News
  • 16 hours ago

    Police preparing for 'Trump visit to UK' as protesters vow an ‘even bigger’ response than last time he came

    The US president is unlikely to get a warm welcome

    News
  • 16 hours ago

    People raise concerns over worrying 'food noise' after using Mounjaro weight loss jabs

    Experts have revealed how to stop food noise with Mounjaro

    News
  • Astronauts stranded in space until 2025 report 'strange' noise on board International Space Station
  • NASA astronauts stranded in space until 2025 speak out on ‘uncomfortable’ issues with spacecraft
  • Experts warn of ‘life-altering’ risks astronauts stuck in space until 2025 face if stranded until then
  • How NASA astronauts who face being stuck in space until 2025 are keeping busy amid concerns for their return