CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Known across the globe as the stuck astronauts, hit the six-month mark in space Thursday with two more to go.
on June 5, the first to ride Boeing鈥檚 new Starliner crew capsule on what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight. They arrived at the International Space Station the next day, only after overcoming a . NASA deemed the capsule too risky for a return flight, so it will be February before their long and trying mission comes to a close.
While NASA managers bristle at calling them stuck or stranded, the two retired Navy captains shrug off the description of their plight. They insist they鈥檙e fine and accepting of their fate. Wilmore views it as a detour of sorts: 鈥淲e鈥檙e just on a different path.鈥�
鈥淚 like everything about being up here,鈥� Williams told students Wednesday from an elementary school named for her in Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. "Just living in space is super fun.鈥�
Both astronauts have lived up there before so they quickly became full-fledged members of the crew, helping with science experiments and chores like fixing a broken toilet, vacuuming the air vents and watering the plants. Williams took over as station commander in September.
鈥淢indset does go a long way,鈥� Wilmore said in response to a question from Nashville first-graders in October. He鈥檚 from Mount Juliet, Tennessee. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 look at these situations in life as being downers.鈥�
in September, and NASA moved Wilmore and Williams to a not due back until late February. Two other astronauts were bumped to make room and to keep to a six-month schedule for crew rotations.
Like other station crews, Wilmore and Williams trained for spacewalks and any unexpected situations that might arise.
鈥淲hen the crews go up, they know they could be there for up to a year,鈥� said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free.
found that out the hard way when the Russian Space Agency had to rush up a replacement capsule for him and two cosmonauts in 2023, pushing their six-month mission to just past a year.
Boeing said this week that input from Wilmore and Williams has been 鈥渋nvaluable" in the ongoing inquiry of what went wrong. The company said in a statement that it is preparing for Starliner's next flight but declined comment on when it might launch again.
NASA also has high praise for the pair.
鈥淲hether it was luck or whether it was selection, they were great folks to have for this mission,鈥� NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, said during an interview with The Associated Press.
On top of everything else, Williams, 59, has had to deal with 鈥渞umors,鈥� as she calls them, of serious weight loss. She insists her weight is the same as it was on launch day, which Polk confirms.
During Wednesday's student chat, Williams said she didn't have much of an appetite when she first arrived in space. But now she's 鈥渟uper hungry鈥� and eating three meals a day plus snacks, while logging the required two hours of daily exercise.
Williams, a distance runner, uses the space station treadmill to support races in her home state. She competed in Cape Cod鈥檚 7-mile Falmouth Road Race in August. She ran the 2007 Boston Marathon up there as well.
She has a New England Patriots shirt with her for game days, as well as a Red Sox spring training shirt.
鈥淗opefully I鈥檒l be home before that happens -- but you never know,鈥� she said in November. Husband Michael Williams, a retired federal marshal and former Navy aviator, is caring for their dogs back home in Houston.
As for Wilmore, 61, he's missing his younger daughter's senior year in high school and his older daughter's theater productions in college.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 deny that being unexpectedly separated, especially during the holidays when the entire family gets together, brings increased yearnings to share the time and events together,鈥� his wife, Deanna Wilmore, told the AP in a text this week. Her husband 鈥渉as it worse than us鈥� since he's confined to the space station and can only connect via video for short periods.
鈥淲e are certainly looking forward to February!!鈥� she wrote.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
