Experienced Boeing Starliner Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are trapped in space and won't be able to return home until February. Both have extensive space experience, and their families believe the decision to keep them there was ultimately in the best interest of their safety.
What was originally planned to be an eight-day space trip stretched into several months, and NASA officials said over the weekend that the troubled spacecraft would return to Earth without them.
Wilmore and Williams have been on the International Space Station since NASA and Boeing launched an investigation after engineers discovered a helium leak and thruster-related issues shortly after Boeing's CST-100 Starliner docked with the station.
Neither Wilmore nor Williams are new to space: This is Wilmore's third mission aboard the International Space Station, and he spent 178 days in space across his two previous missions, according to his official NASA biography. His most recent journey ended in March 2015.
Who was NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who gave a launch speech in support of America?
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were flight crew members on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was recovering from a series of problems. (NASA)
Wilmore previously served in the Navy and participated in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Southern Watch, which included flights over Iraq.
While Wilmore is in space, his wife, Deanna, and daughters, Darin and Logan, live in Texas.
“You just have to adapt and expect the unexpected,” Deanna said. WVLT Television.
The good news? Wilmore's family will be able to talk to him multiple times over FaceTime almost every day while he's aboard the International Space Station.
“It's really nice, it gives you a lot of views of the Earth, and I especially like watching the sunsets,” Darin told the TV station.
The Wilmores understand the loss of family events and memories, but are accustomed to the uncertainty and stress of her husband's career.
“He just believes the Lord is in control, and he's happy where he is because the Lord is in control,” Deanna said.
Boeing Starliner launches two NASA astronauts into space on first crewed test flight
NASA's Expedition 71 crew and Starliner crew flight test members Suni Williams (front row, left) and Butch Wilmore (front row, right). (NASA)
Like Wilmore, Williams is on her third mission to the ISS and had spent 322 days in space prior to this mission, according to her NASA resume. Prior to becoming an astronaut, she also served in the Navy, serving overseas with a Navy helicopter unit during the Gulf War buildup.
According to the Associated Press, she is married to former U.S. Marshal and Naval Aviator Michael Williams and currently sits for dogs at their Houston home.
According to NASA, the couple enjoy “playing with dogs, exercising, tinkering with houses, cars and planes, hiking and camping.”
Michael used to The Wall Street Journal The space is his wife's “happy place.”
Her widowed mother often worries about her job, according to the Associated Press.
“I think she's always worried because I'm her baby daughter,” Williams said before the announcement.
“We're so glad they decided not to put him down right away,” said his mother, Bonnie Pandya. He told TMZ. “There have already been two accidents with the shuttle. I never want that to happen to my daughter or anyone else, so safety comes first.”
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA |
Boeing | 172.87 | -0.61 | -0.35% |
“Sunita (Suni) L. Williams was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions, Expedition 14/15 and Expedition 32/33,” NASA said on its website. (NASA)
Click here to get the FOX News app
Wilmore and Williams SpaceX Crew 9 Dragon MissionIt cannot launch before September 24th because the crew must be reduced from four to two to make room for the stranded astronauts, who are due to return in February 2025. The Crew-9 mission will carry extra cargo and special Dragon spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams, as their Boeing suits are not compatible with SpaceX's spacecraft.
Fox News reporter Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
