Trapped astronauts show first cracks with haunting plea from International Space Station
The US astronauts stranded in space for seven months have hinted at the toll their unexpected mission is taking.
Butch Wilmore, 62, and Sunita Williams, 59, were heard telling NASA executives “eventually we want to go home” during a video call Wednesday.
The pair first landed on the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 and have been stuck there ever since.
Their visit would last only eight days. But due to safety concerns, NASA decided to send the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they arrived on back to Earth without anyone inside.
In August 2024, it was decided that the abandoned astronauts would return home in 2025 on a SpaceX plane.
On Wednesday, Wilmore and Williams joined fellow astronauts Nick Haag, 49, and Don Pettit, 69, to the ISS to share more details about their lives in space.
The astronauts participated in a video call with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
Williams shared how she and Wilmore felt about their harrowing circumstances and how they adapted to their extended stay in space.
“Yes, eventually we want to go home because we left our families a while ago, but we still have a lot to do while we’re here,” she revealed.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Haag, Don Pettit and Suni Williams (left to right) spoke Wednesday about their experiences in space
Butch Wilmore, 62, and Suni Williams, 59, have been stuck on the ISS since June when their spacecraft had to leave without them
“We have to get all that stuff done before we go home.”
They are expected to return home along with the rest of Crew-9 in early April, which is the ninth crew rotation of the ongoing Expedition 72.
Williams has become the commander of Expedition 72. Wilmore, Pettit and Haag are flight engineers, according to NASA.
Wilmore and Williams appeared unconcerned about their circumstances and debunked rumors of safety concerns about a lack of clothing or resources.
When the pair first launched into space in June, they were short on clothing because the Starliner needed more space for cargo, so some personal items had to be sacrificed.
Wilmore said, “It was common knowledge that when we came here, we traded some of the parts we needed on the space station for some of our clothing.
“So we carried [the same] clothes for a while, but that doesn’t bother us because clothes fit loosely here.
The Boeing Starliner that Wilmore and Williams used to arrive at the ISS was returned without a crew due to safety concerns
Williams has become the commander of Expedition 72. Wilmore is a flight engineer for the mission
“It’s not like on Earth, where you sweat and it gets bad. I mean, they’re loose, so you can wear things for weeks and it won’t bother you at all.’
The astronauts have since been resupplied with clothing brought back by Crew-9 in September.
Wilmore and Williams joined Crew-9 when Den Haag, the crew commander, and mission specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived. They cannot leave until Crew-10 arrives at the end of March.
While reiterating that the astronauts are in no danger, Melroy cheekily said, “So what you’re telling us is that you’re not channeling ‘Cast Away,’ and you don’t have a volleyball with a handprint on it that you call ‘Cast Away.’ Wilson.’
Williams replied, “No, we have a whole team here, so we’re not worried about that. And there is also a lot to do with the team on site.
Williams said they are not “rejected” into space, but the couple wants to return to their families as soon as possible
“They’re just a great team, and no, it doesn’t feel like we’ve been ostracized.
“We’ve had countless science experiments with SpaceX 31 [a cargo resupply mission]. Space walks are coming. It was very busy when we were waiting for Nick to get here.
“And it was just a pleasure to work here, especially with our colleagues on the other side of the space station.”
Williams and Haag will conduct a spacewalk later this month. A week after that, Wilson and Wilmore might go out as well.
According to NASA, the purpose of Expedition 72 is to “explore a variety of space phenomena for the benefit of people on and beyond Earth, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, advanced life support systems, genetic sequencing in microgravity and more.”
DailyMail.com has contacted NASA for comment.