NASA astronaut's daughter asks major question as she breaks silence on dad being stranded in space
The daughter of an astronaut stranded in space has opened up about how difficult it's been.
NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita Williams have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024.
What was supposed to be an eight-day mission has turned into a nine month wait after the duo hopped aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on 5 June 2024.
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Wilmore and Williams have been forced to extend their stay due to technical issues with the spacecraft, which include thruster failures and helium leaks.
Now, Wilmore's daughter Daryn has come out on social media to vent her frustrations.
"It's been hard if we're completely honest," the 19-year-old living in Houston, Texas with her mum and sister said.
She noted that it's 'less the fact that he's up there' and 'more the fact of why'.
"There's a lot of politics, there's a lot of things that I'm not at liberty to say, and that I don't know fully about," Daryn added, saying that Wilmore has missed Christmas and his 30-year wedding anniversary.
"But there's been issues. There's been negligence. And that's the reason why this has just kept getting delayed. There's just been issue after issue after issue."
Wilmore and Williams are now expected to return no earlier than 19 March, with Elon Musk's SpaceX tasked with bringing the crew back to Earth.
"I talk to my dad all the time," Daryn said in a video from October.
"That makes things really nice. I miss him so much.
"But fingers crossed, things could always change. And especially with this whole thing — we've had so many changes. And it's a bit mentally exhausting."
This comes after Williams and Wilmore were asked in a press conference on Tuesday (4 March) if the Joe Biden administration declined Musk's offer to bring them back previously.
"I can only say that Mr Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual," Wilmore said.
"So I believe him. I don't know all those details, and I don't think any of us really can give you the answer that maybe that you would be hoping for."
Musk said a day later on X: "The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for eight days and now have been there for eight months.
"SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden-Harris White House (not NASA) refused to allow it.
"President Trump asked to bring them back as soon as possible and we are doing so."
Anish Vij