The NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been in the international space station since June, even though they will only stay for eight days. You will be back on earth at the end of March.
But because her stay was expanded, Williams set up a new record on Thursday. With Wilmore, she made a 5 -hour, 26 -minute space walk and with this walk exceeded the record set by a woman for the time on the space walks. According to space.comWilliams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes in space hiking and surpasses the former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who had 60 hours and 21 minutes.
In this latest SpaceWalk, the two were working on finally removing a faulty radio communication unit that could not remove astronauts on two previous space.
Williams previously teamed up with Astronaut Nick Hague to get a space walk on January 16. On this space walk, Williams and Haag replaced a rate -gyro assembly that contributes to maintaining the alignment of the Orbital outer post, NASA said. The astronauts also installed patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the X-ray telescope of the neutron star interior of Explorer Explorer, replaces a reflector device at one of the international docking adapters and checked access areas and plug-in tools that will be used for future alpha Maintenance of magnetic spectrometers.
The NASA Astronaut Sun Williams can be seen on January 16, 2025, SpaceWalk, in front of the international space station.
Trump and Muschus
The astronauts are scheduled to come home in March. But that may not be fast enough for President Donald Trump.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX, the 2 brave astronauts of ‘Go’ Get ‘, which the biden administration practically gave up in space,” wrote Trump about the truth, social According to the NPR. “Good luck Elon !!!”
The astronauts are anything but abandoned. The delay was caused because the NASA and Boeing engineers discovered problems with the spaceship that brought the astronauts into space and returned the vehicle to earth without a crew.
And it is unclear what Musk could do because the two should already fly home from his SpaceX company on a capsule and that this capsule is already docked at the ISS. Technically speaking, the astronauts could go home at any time, but that would briefly operated the space station and endanger projects, says NPR. The two astronauts say that while missing their families they still have work to employ them to employ them.
“Finally we want to go home,” said Williams in one Most recent press conference. “We left our families some time ago, but we have a lot to do here and we have to do the stuff before we go.”
The return in February is now March
From February to the end of March, NASA recently withdrawn the return of Williams and Wilmorer to Earth.
“The NASA and SpaceX have evaluated various options for managing the next crewed handover, including the use of another Dragon room vehicle and the obvious adjustments” A press release from NASA that was published on December 17th. “After careful consideration, the team found that the introduction of crew-10 at the end of March after the completion of the new Dragon room vehicle was the best option for the meet of the requirements of NASA and the achievement of space destinations for 2025.
The delay is that the NASA and SpaceX teams can complete the work on the new Dragon room vehicles of the mission. This new craft will introduce four crew members to the ISS – commander Anne McClain, commander, pilot Nichole Ayers, the Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. As soon as the new crew is settled, Williams, Wilmore, Nasa -Astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will return to Earth.
But Williams and Wilmore do not complain about their extended stay.
“I like everything to be up here” Williams said At the beginning of December. “Living in space is great fun.”
The astronauts are busy and Williams and Wilmore help the other ISS residents in Space Botany Studies and other research. According to the ISS blog of NASA. In more than 60 scientific studies in their almost six months, they supported them on board. The Washington Post reports.
You need to know the following what the two astronauts project.
Who are the astronauts?
Wilmore (61) and Williams (58) are experienced astronauts and both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998 and since 2000 Wilmore. Both have a lot of experience in space.
Williams is the former record holder for most space rooms from a woman (seven) and most space walk for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007 she ran the first marathon from one person in space.
In 2009, Wilmore piled the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS and was part of the ISS crew in 2014, which used a 3D printer to make a tool – a ratchet key – for the first time people put people outside a little outside of the world.
What was your original mission in space?
Wilmore as commander and Williams as a pilot traveled to the ISS with a 15-foot width, made by Boeing. They started on June 5 and Docken on June 6th with the ISS. NASA hopes in the private sector for its human space options, the New York Times reported.
The ISS mission of Wilmore and Williams should only take eight days in which they test aspects of Starliner and see how it works with a human crew in space. But due to complications with starliners, the two astronauts are still up there.
What do the astronauts say?
The astronauts have had their experience positively. In A Live press conference In September, Williams said that despite the fact that their mission would only take eight days, they would “train” both for a few years. They are fully qualified to stay in space over a longer period of time and to support the SpaceX Dragon spaceship that will bring you home next year.
“It is very peaceful up here,” said Williams on September 13th, although she was added to miss her families back on earth.
The astronauts work on research, maintenance and data analyzes during their extended stay.
“We have a great time here on ISS,” said Williams In a press conference held from the orbit in July. “I don’t complain. Butch does not complain that we are up here for a few additional weeks.”
Wilmore and Williams respond to media questions in March.
How are you in space at all?
The Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Then the engineers had to repair a helium leak. These are all bad news for Boeing. It is Competition with SpaceXWhat was Transport of astronauts to the ISS Make over 20 successful trips to the space station since 2020.
Starliner finally started on a rocket from Atlas V on June 5, but some problems came with it. NASA announced that Three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before the flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew had to fix failed control contracts, although the craft was successfully created with the ISS.
SpaceX also had failures. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded At the launch pad in 2016. In July of this year, a Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and set its satellites in the wrong orbit, the New York Times, reported. And a Falcon 9 rocket at the end of August lost a booster in the first stage when he stormed into the Atlantic and Caught fire.
But that means SpaceX has more than 300 successful Falcon 9 flights to his loan.
Stuck in the room: a timeline
- May: Starliner start is delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket and then a helium leak.
- June 5: Starliner starts on board with Williams and Wilmore.
- June 6: Starliner docks with ISS, although there are three helium leaks and failed control carriers.
- September 6: Starliner leaves ISS and ends up in New Mexico and leaves Williams and Wilmore.
- September 28: SpaceX crew 9 mission starts with Hague and Gorbunov on a kite room scream.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon Docks with ISS.
- December 17: NASA announces that the start of four crew members to the ISS will be delayed from February to the end of March.
- March 2025 continues: SpaceX Dragon SpaceCraft will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.
