In space, no one can hear you scream.
But on Earth, there are always psychiatrists on standby to listen to the cries of stressed astronauts if necessary.
“I could complain to him, cry with him, anything,” said Clayton, a retired astronaut.Astro Clay“He supported me. He tried to make changes,” he said of Anderson, a long-distance psychologist who helped him during his 152 days aboard the International Space Station in 2007. [with NASA] I will talk to the family if necessary.”
NASA’s psychiatrists back on Earth may be busy right now, as astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are “trapped” on the International Space Station due to a spacecraft malfunction.
As of August 10, the pair will be in the confines of the International Space Station for 66 days. It was only supposed to be for 10 days..
NASA announced Wednesday that Wilmore and Williams may have to remain in place until February 2025.
Two more astronauts Heading to the International Space Station The four are scheduled to stay on the ISS as early as September aboard the Crew Dragon, developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The four will work together on the ISS until February, after which they will return to Earth on the Crew Dragon.
Anderson said what was surprising was that, despite there being a two-year preparatory course before departure to the International Space Station, there was no real training on what would happen if someone became trapped.
“I never thought about being left behind. I thought, ‘I have a job to do. I’m here for a set amount of time. It varies,'” the 65-year-old told The Washington Post. “I don’t remember having much training or psychology in terms of how to deal with that.”
Anderson said astronauts are “trained to do a lot of repairs by procedure,” and it helps if they’re also decent plumbers.
“There was a time when a Russian toilet broke on a Friday night, and Russian mission control didn’t get it up and running again until Saturday,” he recalled of the ISS. “So [we] I had to survive a night without a toilet.”
During that time, he relied on a makeshift antigravity toilet called a Soyuz. Apollo Poop Bag“It’s literally a bag that you seal and store in a box. But we’re not trained on how to use the bag. Ugh!”
As for repairs, Anderson said, “You just hope that you get the instructions the next morning and that the right parts are used.” [on board]”I think we could fix it in a day, but we might have to send parts.”
Significantly, Shipping Time It will take a minimum of four hours to get supplies.
They won’t have to worry about starving, as a cargo ship from the US delivers fresh clothing and food to the ISS every few months (though Williams and Wilmore can’t return aboard a carrier ship, which isn’t designed to carry humans).
But sometimes the cupboards were “bare bones,” Anderson said: “There were some dishes on the space station that nobody liked. Tofu teriyaki and chili tofu were dishes I would never eat.”
The ISS was launched in 1998 as a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, and is currently used for scientific research by 15 countries.
NASA explains It is described as “larger than a six-bedroom house, with six bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree bay window.” It is solar-powered and Small galley kitchen There is a refrigerator, hot and cold running water and a hood heater.
The medical supplies aboard the spacecraft are more advanced than your average first aid kit, but they still seem more mundane than you’d expect. In addition to Imodium AD and sleeping pills, Anderson recalls equipment for suturing and intubation, as well as an IV kit with syringes. In a critical situation, astronauts would be expected to follow the instructions of doctors on Earth.
“I’m sure Suni and Butch will have medical and psychological support while they’re there,” said Anderson, who has received support for both.
Astronauts can also be medical professionals: Frank Rubio was selected as a flight surgeon in 2017 and began two years of training to stay on the ISS with two Russian cosmonauts in 2022.
The mission was originally scheduled for 180 days, but was extended to 371 days due to a radiator leak, making it the longest space flight by an American. Meteorites or space debris It collided with a Russian spacecraft that was meant to bring the astronauts home.
Rubio told NPR that being in such an enclosed space, where “the only privacy you have is a little phone booth,” made him feel a little insane. In contrast to NASA, he compared the ISS to “a two- or three-bedroom house with just hallways.”
Trapped in space It is physically taxing“We’re not walking, we’re not carrying our own weight,” Rubio told CNN. [while in space]So it will take two to six months before you feel basically normal again.”
NASA is careful to avoid using the words “stranded,” “trapped” or “stranded.” At a June press conference about Wilmore and Williams, Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said, “Our plan is to bring them home at the appropriate time on Starliner.”
The fact that Williams and Wilmore’s faulty return vehicle was manufactured by Boeing, a company that has received a lot of bad press over the past few years. 2024 Courses A number of mechanical and human errors “hold you back” in the division, Anderson said, “but the aviation division is different from the space division.”
“We’ve made the decision over the last few weeks to make sure we have that capability there,” Steve Sitch, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said this week. [the SpaceX option]I think our community has become more and more uncomfortable.”
It was discovered before launch that the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried Williams and Wilmore to the ISS had a small helium leak.
Further leaks were found in the ship’s pipes and were repaired from above ground. According to CBS NewsHowever, after Starliner docked with the ISS, more problems became apparent, including thruster failures and a helium leak from the propulsion system.
Anderson, author of “The Ordinary Spaceman,” said the pair likely aren’t scared at the moment.
“Butch and Suni were test pilots before they were astronauts,” he said. “I think, and this is just a guess, that some of them are saying, ‘We’re test pilots, we can handle this, we’re not scared.'”
Even without unexpected delays, going into space for an extended period of time can wreak havoc on relationships with spouses and children.
“My wife and I talked about what we would do if the mission was extended by a month or so,” he said of his wife, Susan, who also worked in the space program. “But if it had been three or four months, it would have been much tougher. I can’t speak to individual families’ situations, but [Butch’s] The family is getting a little restless. The kids are getting older… and I’m sure they miss their daddy on earth.”
Wilmore, 62, is from Middle Tennessee and has two daughters with his wife. He is a former U.S. Navy captain who was selected as an astronaut in 2000.
Williams, 58, is married and a federal police officer in Oregon. He served as a Navy test pilot before being selected as an astronaut in 1998.
Anderson met Williams in 1998, when they were both training to be astronauts. She imagines that “she’s enjoying every day in space. I can’t imagine her or Butch panicking out there right now. They’re probably just working hard, having a good time and trusting the system. It’s fun to be in space.”
Anderson is currently SAC Air and Space Museum The astronaut, who lives in his hometown of Ashland, Nebraska, remembers missing his family while in space.
But not everyone was like that, he acknowledged. “Some astronauts loved going to Star City. [the Russian space training center northeast of Moscow] Get them trained so they won’t be bothered by family problems.”
