Originally set to return in mid-June, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams may be on the station until February, 2025.

During a press conference today, NASA representatives confirmed they have a contingency plan to bring astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams home from the International Space Station (ISS) early next year. If they’re unable to leave sooner aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that brought them there

Tests conducted at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility pointed to deformed Teflon seals being a potential cause of the Starliner’s thrusters failing, but the agency isn’t expected to make a final decision on whether or not Williams and Wilmore will return using Boeing’s spacecraft until mid-August.

  • 👍Maximum Derek👍@discuss.tchncs.deOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    3 months ago

    It’s certainly not great for their eyes, but a number of people have been up for longer in one go. I think Frank Rubio currently holds the record at ~14 months.