Christmas in space? NASA astronauts Sunita “Sunny” Williams and Barry “Butch” Willmore certainly didn't think they'd still be on the International Space Station for Christmas when they left Earth in June. In fact, they initially plan to stay only eight days. And now, what was planned as a February return has been moved to late March.
But the two stranded astronauts, plus fellow astronauts Nick Hague and Don Pettit, recently sent Christmas cards to Earth with photos and video on social media showing the space travelers wearing holiday bonnets.
One Image on Instagram features Pettitte and Williams wearing Santa hats. And that in a videoWilliams, Wilmore, Petit and Haig are seen posing with a snowman figure and a small decorated tree, while the three men wear Santa hats and Williams wears reindeer antlers.
Everyone takes turns talking about their vacation in orbit, letting candy float around them, showing off the canned food they'll enjoy, and also using weightlessness of microgravity to switch the microphone to the next speaker.
“It's a great time of year up here,” Williams says. “We got to spend it with our whole 'family' on the International Space Station, there's seven of us up here, so we're going to enjoy the company together.”
A Christmas conspiracy theory?
Many people who watched the video or saw the pictures wondered why the ISS had Christmas decorations.
“An 8 day mission that turned into months and they somehow got Christmas hats?” asked one commenter.
Other commentators have pointed out that the ISS didn't just come into existence in June, when Williams and Willmore arrived. In fact, Williams also spent Christmas 2006 in space.
NASA confirmed to the New York Post that the Santa hats, plus Christmas decorations, food and gifts for the crew, were delivered in late November via the SpaceX spacecraft. ISS supplies are regularly replenished through such deliveries.
Going back to February is now March
Recently, NASA delayed the return of Williams and Willmore to Earth from February until the end of March.
“NASA and SpaceX have evaluated various options for managing the next crew handoff, including using another Dragon spacecraft and manifest adjustments,” according to NASA press release issued December 17. “After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following the completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, is the best option to meet NASA's requirements and achieve the space station's 2025 goals.”
The delay is so the NASA and SpaceX teams can complete work on the new Dragon mission spacecraft. That new ship will launch four crew members to the ISS — Commander Anne McClain, Commander Pilot Nicole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. After the new crew settles in, Williams, Wilmore, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will return to Earth.
But Williams and Wilmore aren't complaining about their extended stay.
“I love everything about being up here,” Williams said in early December. “Life in space is super fun.
Astronauts are busy, and Williams and Wilmore are helping other ISS residents with space botanical studies and other research. according to NASA's ISS blog. They assisted in more than 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months on board, writes the Washington Post.
Here's what you need to know about what the two astronauts are up to.
Who are astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts and are both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998, and Wilmore since 2000. Both have a lot of space experience.
Williams is the former record holder for the most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and the longest spacewalk time by a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, she ran the first marathon by any person in space.
In 2009, Wilmore piloted the space shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to produce a tool—a socket wrench—in space, the first time humans had produced anything off-world.
What was their original mission in space?
Wilmore, as commander, and Williams, as pilot, traveled to the ISS in a 15-meter-wide Boeing-made capsule called the Starliner. They launched on June 5 and joined the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes the Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to and from the ISS, and the fact that it's made by Boeing is another sign that NASA is starting to lean on the private sector for its human spaceflight options, New York The Times reported.
Wilmore and Williams' ISS mission was to last just eight days, during which they would test aspects of the Starliner and see how it performed with a human crew in space. But due to complications with the Starliner, the two astronauts are still there.
What do astronauts eat?
Food on the ISS is a major focus, as fresh produce must be replenished every three months with deliveries from Earth. On November 23, the unmanned Progress 90 spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS. But the latest food delivery came with an unpleasant smell.
“After opening the hatch of the Progress spacecraft, Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected smell and noticed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment. said a NASA official in a statement published on social networks.
“The space station's air cleaners and pollutant sensors have been monitoring the station's atmosphere since the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined that air quality on the space station was at normal levels,” NASA said. “There are no concerns for the crew, and as of Sunday afternoon, the crew is working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress while all other space station operations are proceeding as planned.
NASA revealed that their menu includes cereal with milk powder, pizza, shrimp cocktails, grilled chicken and tuna.
The smell that came along with the spacecraft isn't the only food-related concern of late, as some publications have questioned the skinny appearance of the astronauts based on recent photos.
Dr. J. “NASA and our partners have safely conducted long-duration missions to the orbiting laboratory for decades, studying the effects of space on the human body as we prepare for exploration further into the solar system,” Polk said. “The health of the crew is regularly monitored by dedicated flight surgeons on Earth and they have an individual diet and fitness regime to ensure they stay healthy throughout their expeditions.”
Williams said she weighs the same as she did when she arrived at the space station, in a video interview conducted on November 12 on the ISS.
What do astronauts say?
The astronauts were positive about their experience. On a live press conference in September, Williams said that even though they knew their mission was only supposed to last eight days, the two had “trained for several years” for it. They are fully qualified to stay in space for an extended period of time and help pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will bring them home next year.
“It's very peaceful here,” Williams said on Sept. 13, though he added that they miss their families back on Earth.
Astronauts work on research, maintenance and data analysis during their extended stay.
“We're having a great time here on the ISS,” Williams said at a press conference held from orbit in July. “I'm not complaining. Butch isn't complaining that we're here for a few more weeks.
Wilmore and Williams answered questions from the media back in March.
How did they get stuck in space in the first place?
On The Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Then the engineers had to fix a helium leak. It's all bad news for Boeing. It is competes with SpaceXwhat was it transporting astronauts to the ISS as of 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.
The Starliner finally launched, atop an Atlas V rocket, on June 5, but there were some problems. It was announced by NASA three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before the flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leak, the crew had to remove the failed control thrusters, although the spacecraft was able to successfully dock with the ISS.
And SpaceX has had setbacks. A The Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad in 2016. In July of this year, the Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellites into the wrong orbit, The New York Times reported. And the Falcon 9 rocket in late August lost its first-stage booster when it overturned in the Atlantic Ocean and it caught fire.
But that said, SpaceX has more than 300 successful ones Falcon 9 flights to her credit.
Stuck in Space: Timeline
- May: The Starliner launch is delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket and then a helium leak.
- June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore on board.
- June 6: Starliner docks with the ISS despite dealing with three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
- September 6: The Starliner departs from the ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
- September 28: Launch of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission with Haig and Gorbunov aboard the Dragon spacecraft.
- September 29: SpaceX Dragon docks with the ISS.
- December 17: NASA announces that the launch of four crew members to the ISS will be delayed from February until the end of March.
- March 2025 onwards: The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Haig and Gorbunov.