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.
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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."
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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.
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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.