NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, of India, said Friday it was difficult to see their Boeing return to Earth without having to spend extra months on the International Space Station (ISS).
It was the first public comment from Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stuck in space, since the return of Boeing's Starliner last week, which took them to the ISS in June. The U.S. space agency decided to bring the capsule back without both astronauts, saying the troubled capsule was too dangerous to take back.
“It was challenging at times. There were some tough moments throughout,” said NASA astronaut Wilmore. As spacecraft pilots, “you don't want it to go down without you, but that's where we ended up,” he added,
“That's the way it is in this business,” said Sunita Williams, adding, “You have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity.”
Both astronauts are now full crew members of the space station, helping with routine maintenance and experiments. Williams will take over command of the space station in a few weeks.
The duo, along with seven others on board, welcomed a Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American earlier this week, temporarily bringing the station's population to 12, a near-record high.
Two more astronauts are scheduled to fly into space with SpaceX later this month. Wilmore and Williams will have two empty capsule seats for the return trip, which is nearly a record.
The transition to life on the space station was “not that difficult” because they had both been there before, said Williams, who had two extended stays on the space station years ago.
“This is my happy place. I love being here in space,” Williams added.
Wilmore noted that his adjustment wasn't immediate, but it was “pretty close.”
The astronauts said they appreciate all the prayers and well wishes from strangers back home and that it has helped them cope with everything they will miss back home.
It’s important to note that their Starliner capsule marked Boeing’s first spaceflight with astronauts. It endured a series of thruster failures and helium leaks before arriving at the space station on June 6. It landed safely in the New Mexico desert earlier this month.
