NASA finally reveals $30,000,000,000 reason ‘stranded’ astronauts have been left in space for nine months

Sunita Williams and Butch Williams’ return to Earth has been delayed

It looks like ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to spend a few more days on the International Space Station, but when you’ve been up there for 280 days, what’s a few more between friends? Having missed birthdays, holidays, and even tucking into a Thanksgiving dinner in the stars, Williams and Wilmore have become the center of a media storm.

President Donald Trump called on Elon Musk to fly up there and rescue them, while the world’s richest man accused the Biden administration of using them as political pawns. NASA is finally setting out to swap Williams and Wilmore’s positions on the ISS with the Crew-10 team, although a last-minute cancelation of their launch means the planned rescue mission is now targeting a March 14 blast-off.

Although Williams and Wilmore’s original mission was only supposed to last eight days, problems with their Boeing Starliner meant the craft was flown back unmanned. The SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts docked with the ISS on September 29, and with two spare seats on their craft, they’ll take Williams and Wilmore down with them when their Crew-10 replacements eventually arrive.

Wilmore and Williams have had their return delayed (whoisinspace.com)Wilmore and Williams have had their return delayed (whoisinspace.com)

Wilmore and Williams have had their return delayed (whoisinspace.com)

There have been questions about why NASA didn’t simply send up another crew to swap out the marooned pair, but now, NASA associate administrator for space operations Ken Bowersox has explained why they’ve been left aboard the ISS for 280 days (and counting). As always, it comes down to money. According to the Daily Mail, NASA’s 2024 budget only stretched to $30 billion, meaning there wasn’t enough left in the pot to send another mission up to rescue the pair.

NASA ultimately decided the funds couldn’t be stretched, with Bowersox explaining: “The SpaceX folks helped us folks helped us with a lot of options on how we would bring Sunny and Butch home on Dragon [a capsule] in a contingency.

“They’ve been so helpful this last year, coming up with those options. When it comes to adding on missions or or bringing uh a capsule home early, those were always options.”

Discussing the allegations that they were left in space for political reasons, Bowesox said although there ‘may have been conversations’ in the White House, he wasn’t part of them.

Speaking at a press conference, SpaceX Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier said that NASA leaving Williams and Wilmore up there meant the agency could “use Sunny and Butch in a very productive manner” and ‘keep the science going’. If they had brought them back earlier, it would’ve left a skeleton crew of astronauts to conduct research on the ISS.

The Daily Mail then goes on to highlight the apparent $20 million that NASA spent on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants and contracts during the 2024 budget period.

Elsewhere, a 2024 Inspector General report uncovered’ inappropriate use’ of award fees, including more than $77 million that NASA has reportedly paid for SLS boosters and engines contracts since 2020.

At least the end is (hopefully) in sight for Williams and Wilmore’s extended stay in space, as when the Crew-10 team gets there, there will be a two-day period of handover before they’ll finally be heading back to Earth and straight into a ‘brutal’ rehab regime.

Featured Image Credit: CBS NEWS

Nasa
Space
Elon Musk
Donald Trump
Politics
Science
SpaceX
NASA finally reveal return date for 'stranded' astronauts whose 8-day mission turned into 278 daysNASA finally reveal return date for 'stranded' astronauts whose 8-day mission turned into 278 days

Home> Science> Space

NASA finally reveal return date for ‘stranded’ astronauts whose 8-day mission turned into 278 days

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will soon be back on terra firma

Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman

The space saga of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore is finally coming to an end.

While the former has insisted the pair of NASA astronauts aren’t stranded aboard the International Space Station, the fact their eight-day mission has turned into a 278-day one (and counting) has us all feeling for them.

Capturing the attention of the world and even being used as political pawns by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the dynamic duo has barely been out of the news since their Boeing Crew Flight Test starliner malfunctioned and had to be sent back to Earth without them.

The POTUS had called on Musk to go and ‘rescue’ Williams and Wilmore, but finally, NASA has confirmed the date they should be back on Earth.

Although the pair will have to go through a brutal regime of rehab, we’re sure they’ll be more than happy to have finally left the confines of the ISS.

Williams and Wilmore will soon be back on Earth (NASA)Williams and Wilmore will soon be back on Earth (NASA)

Williams and Wilmore will soon be back on Earth (NASA)

As reported by Space.com, NASA has cleared the Crew-10 relief crew that will launch inside the SpaceX Dragon on March 12.

NASA officials say that Williams and Wilmore should return to Earth on March 16, by which point, they’ll have been in space for 283 days.

While the empty Starliner headed back in September 2024, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov flew as part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission with two empty seasons on their Dragon for Williams and Wilmore. All four will fly back once the relief crew reaches the ISS.

ISS program manager Dana Weigel explained: “When we looked at the situation at the time, we had a Crew-9 launch in front of us. It made sense to take the opportunity to bring Crew-9 up with just two seats and have Butch and Suni fill in, and do the rest of the long-duration mission.

Crew-10 will take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for a mission expected to last six months.

This crew is commanded and piloted by NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, who are joined by mission specialists JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

These four were due to fly on SpaceX’s brand-new Dragon, but with pressure mounting to bring back Williams and Wilmore, they’re now flying on the veteran Endurance capsule that’s already been to the ISS and back three times.

Despite pressure from Trump, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stitch said it’s typical for missions to face delays: “We’re always looking and refining the manifest. We started looking at that schedule, and at that time, early this year, late January, that’s when we finally decided we’ll move to [Endurance].”

Endurance and Crew-10 are due to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on March 12 and reach the ISS about 14 hours later.

While Williams and Wilmore’s stay is still a way off the 437 days that Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov spent aboard the Mir Space Station in 1994 and 1995, they’ll undoubtedly be glad to be back with their loved ones.