Williams, Wilmore stuck in space: How'll they survive till 2025
Two NASA astronauts, Sunita "Suni" Williams and Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore, are currently stranded on the International Space Station (ISS). Their stay has been extended due to technical issues with Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft. The initial eight-day mission has now surpassed two months and could potentially extend until February 2025. Despite these challenges, the astronauts remain well-equipped for survival aboard the ISS.
Starliner's technical issues extend astronauts' stay
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June 2024 to test Boeing's new Starliner. However, the spacecraft experienced helium leaks and thruster failures before docking. While Boeing maintains that there is no increased risk in returning them via the Starliner, NASA is contemplating a return via a SpaceX flight. This has resulted in an unexpected extension of their stay in space. But do they have enough supplies for such a long stay? What does daily life look like?
What the living quarters look like
The ISS spans 356 feet (109 meters) from end to end. According to NASA, the living and working area is bigger than a six-bedroom house, featuring six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window. However, Williams and Wilmore are not alone; they share these facilities with seven other astronauts from different missions, including four fellow Americans and three Russians.
Reserve supplies to last for extended period
There are ample reserve supplies on the ISS to sustain the astronauts for an extended period. The space station is equipped with its own oxygen-generating systems, recovering about 50% of the oxygen from exhaled carbon dioxide. For water, the ISS uses a recycling system that converts urine into drinking water, and another part of this system captures moisture from the crew's breath and sweat released into the cabin air.
What about food
Food supplies on the ISS are crafted at NASA's Space Food Systems Laboratory in Houston, where the focus is on making meals both tasty and nutritious. Many meals are dehydrated and need to be rehydrated before eating, while others are pre-cooked and simply require heating. The menu includes a variety of options like meat (barbecued beef brisket, for example), eggs, vegetables, bread, snacks, and desserts. Crew members can even request some of their personal favorites from Earth.
Regular resupply missions from Earth keep the ISS stocked
Regular resupply missions from Earth keep the ISS stocked, with the latest delivery arriving on August 6. Launched from Kazakhstan on May 30, this shipment included around three tonnes of food, fuel, and other essentials for Williams, Wilmore, and the other crew members. The crew can make specific requests for these supplies by communicating with Mission Control before the launches.
How do astronauts use the toilet
In a 2012 NASA video, Williams detailed the ISS toilet, which resembles an airplane's but with two tubes—one for urine and one for feces. The urine tube, resembling a vacuum, uses suction to prevent messes, while the other is a more typical toilet with a seat and a wall handle to prevent floating away. The toilet area includes various types of wipes, and astronauts receive toiletry kits with essentials like a toothbrush.
Sleeping arrangements
Interestingly, in space, you can sleep on the floor, wall, or ceiling. Without gravity, the crew doesn't feel like they're lying down, so it doesn't matter if they're upright, upside down, or on the floor—it all feels the same. The ISS has small sleeping stations, about the size of phone booths, where crew members settle in. These stations contain a sleeping bag and pillow, attached to the floor, wall, or ceiling, allowing for comfortable rest in any orientation.
How are the 2 astronauts feeling
Both retired Navy captains and veteran NASA astronauts, Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, already have extensive experience with space station missions. Before embarking on this test flight, they anticipated learning a great deal about Starliner and its operations. During their only space-based news conference in July, they assured reporters they were staying busy with repairs and research while expressing confidence in the ongoing Starliner tests happening behind the scenes.
Is this the longest anyone has spent in space
No. In the mid-1990s, Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov set the record by spending 437 days in space. Last year, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returned from a 371-day mission with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, setting a new record for the longest space mission by an American. Like the current mission, their trip was extended due to technical issues, even though it was originally planned to last only six months.
