NASA's Sunna “Sunni” Astronauts Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore has been at the June International Space Station, although it was initially expected to remain only eight days. They will return to Earth in late March.
But as their stay was extended, Williams set a new record on Thursday. She went to 5 -hour, 26 minutes of space with Wilmore, and with that walk, he surpassed the record set by a woman during spacecraft. According to Space.comWilliams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of space, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Witson, who was 60 hours and 21 minutes.
In this latest space, the two worked to finally remove a defective radio communication unit, the one that astronauts in two previous space sites were unable to remove them.
Williams has previously joined with astronaut Nick Hague for space trails January 16. In that area, Williams and The Hague replaced the rate of the Goro Assembly that helps maintain the orientation of the orbital place, NASA said. Astronauts also installed patches to cover the damaged areas of light filters on the telescope with the interior compositions of neutrons Starwelles, which replaced the device for one of the international adapters' connectors and checked the access and tools for connectors that astronauts will used for future alpha maintenance of the magnetic spectrometer.
NASA's astronaut, Sunni Williams, is seen outside the International Space Station during January 16, 2025, space.
Trump and Musk
Astronauts are due to return home in March. But that may not be fast enough for President Donald Trump.
“I just asked Elon Musk and Spasks to” go “the two brave astronauts who were practically abandoned in space by the Biden administration,” Trump wrote about the truth Social, According to NPR. “Happy Elon !!!”
Astronauts are far from abandoned. The delay was caused because NASA and Boeing engineers discovered problems with the spacecraft that brought astronauts into space and chose to return the vehicle to Earth without crew.
And it is unclear what Musk can do, as the two are already planned to fly home on a capsule made by his company Spacets and that the capsule is already connected to the ISS. So technically, astronauts could go home at any time, but it will leave the space station with short plates and endanger projects, the NPR says. .
“In the end we want to go home,” Williams said in A. A recent press conference. “We left our families shortly, but we have a lot to do here and we have to finish those things before we go.”
Return in February is now March
Recently, NASA returned to Williams and Wilmore on the country from February to the end of March.
“NASA and SpaceX have evaluated different options for managing the next hand -handed, including the use of another dragon spacecraft and manifested adjustments,” according to NASA's press release issued on December 17. “After careful consideration, the team found that the launch of the crew-10 in late March, after the end of the new dragon spacecraft, was the best option to meet NASA's 2025 goals and achieve the 2025 goals.
The delay is so the teams of NASA and Spacets can complete the work of the new spacecraft of the mission. That new craft will launch four ISS crew members – Commander Ann McClane, commander, pilot Nicole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuja Onishi and Roskosmos Cosmonaut Kiril Peskov. After the new team is settled, Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut, Nick Hague and Roskosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will return to the country.
But Williams and Wilmore do not complain about their prolonged stay.
“I like everything to be here,” Said Williams at the beginning of December. “Living in space is super fun.”
Astronauts are busy, with Williams and Wilmore assisting other ISS residents in space studies on botany and other research, According to NASA's ISS blog. They helped in more than 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months on the ship, Reports in the Washington Post.
Here's what you need to know about what both astronauts.
What are the astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veterans astronauts and are both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been NASA's astronaut since 1998 and Wilmore since 2000. Both have a lot of experience in space.
Williams is a former record holder for the most spacecraft from a woman (seven) and most space time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, she led the first marathon of any person in space.
In 2009, Wilmore piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis on his ISS mission, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crew who used a 3D tool to produce a tool – turning key – in space, the first time people produced something out of the the world.
What was their initial mission in space?
Wilmore, as a commander and Williams, as a pilot, traveled to a 15 -meter capsule -made ISS, called a starliner. They began on June 5 and joined the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes Starliner will give the organization a new way to get the teams to and from ISS, and the fact that Boeing is made is another sign that NASA is starting to rely on the private sector for its options for human space flights, Theujork Times reported.
Williams's mission was to last only eight days, during which they would try out aspects of a starliner and see how they work with a human team in space. But due to complications with a starter, the two astronauts are still there.
What do astronauts say?
Astronauts were positive about their experience. Of a Live conference In September, Williams said that despite knowing that their mission was scheduled to last only eight days, both would be “training for several years”. They are fully qualified to stay in space for a longer period of time and help the Dragon Dragon's spacecraft pilot brought home next year.
“It's very peaceful here,” Williams said on September 13, though he added that they miss their families back to earth.
Astronauts are working on researching, maintaining and analyzing data during their prolonged stay.
“We are doing great here on ISS,” Williams said in a press conference held by orbit in July. “I don't regret it. Butch does not complain that we are here for a few additional weeks. “
Wilmore and Williams have been responding to media issues as early as March.
How did it get stuck in space in the first place?
The Starliner was delayed in May due to a rocket valve problem. The engineers then had to repair helium leakage. It's all bad news for Boeing. That is Competing with SpaceXWhat was it transport of astronauts to ISS Since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.
Starliner finally launched, at the top of the Atlas V rocket, on June 5, but some problems came with that. NASA announced that Three leaks of helium were identified, one of which was known before the flight and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew had to change the unsuccessful control overlayers, although the craft was able to successfully join the ISS.
SpaceX also had failures. A Exploded rocket falcon 9 The Launchpad in 2016. In July this year, the Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen flow and deployed its satellites into the wrong orbit, Theuork Times reported. And the Falcon 9 rocket at the end of August lost the first phase amplifier when it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean and caught fire.
But that said, SpaceX has more than 300 successful Flights with falcon 9 to her credit.
Stuck in space: Timeline frame
- May: Starliner launch is delayed due to a rocket valve problem and then helium leaks.
- June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore on the ship.
- June 6: Starliner joins the ISS despite dealing with three leaks of helium and unsuccessful control strokes.
- September 6: Starliner goes to ISS and landed in New Mexico, leaving behind Williams and Wilmore.
- September 28.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon joins ISS.
- December 17: NASA announces that the launch of four ISS crew will be postponed from February to the end of March.
- March 2025 onwards: Dragon Dragon's spacecraft will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, The Hague and Gorbunov.