Featured Image Credit: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO / Contributor / Getty
One of NASA's astronauts who is stranded on the International Space Station has released some fascinating insight about the physical side effects.
The tragic story of the stranded NASA astronauts continues, with Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore being stuck in space for over 230 days. The pair flew on the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner in June 2024, but due to technical issues with their craft, it was flown back unmanned and they were left stranded on the International Space Station.
While they've been in good company with other crew members aboard the ISS, Williams and Wilmore never envisioned being up in the stars for so long.
After spending 243 days in space, Williams admits she's been suffering from some adverse effects. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have even been concocting a plan to get the stranded astronauts back, but it's not as simple as sending an Uber up to get them.
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Williams has been hitting headlines, with concerns for her health and 'shocking' weight loss.
In an honest interview, Williams says she’s now lost the ability to perform basic bodily functions. Speaking to students at Needham High School in Massachusetts, the astronaut said: "I've been up here long enough, right now I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk. I haven't walked. I haven't sat down. I haven't laid down."
As time ticks on, Williams and Wilmore's conditions are set to worsen. It's said that astronauts lose around 1% of bone density for every month in space unless they take precautions, with microgravity also leading to muscle deterioration.
The stranded astronauts were supposed to fly home on SpaceX's Crew-9 spacecraft in February, but NASA pushed that timeline back in December 2024.
Of course, Williams and Wilmore's extended stay in space isn't going to break any record. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko is no stranger to the stars and spent a total of 878 days in space over the years.
Although NASA regularly monitors the health of astronauts and makes sure they take part in regular medical examinations, neither Williams nor Wilmore expected to spend that long on the ISS. They've been there so long, that they even had to spend an unexpected Thanksgiving in space.
Despite Musk and Trump's hopes, of bringing the astronauts back, there's no rushing things. Posting on Truth Social the President wrote: "I have just asked Elon Musk and Space X to 'go get' the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration.
"They have been waiting for many months on Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!"
NASA has promised work is underway, with a post explaining: "After careful consideration, the team determined that launching Crew-10 in late March, following completion of the new Dragon spacecraft, was the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025."
