NASA astronaut Suni Williams reveals her first thought when she found out they weren't coming home after 8 days
Even though NASA astronaut Suni Williams maintains she wasn't 'stranded' aboard the International Space Station for nine months, the likes of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have latched onto the idea that she and fellow astronaut Butch Williams were abandoned there by the Biden administration.
There were more concerns when Williams and Wilmore splashed down alongside the Crew-9 astronauts after 286 days in space, and even though we were warned they would be rushed off on stretchers, there are still plenty of worries about their health.
Even when Williams was orbiting us some 250 miles above, there were concerns about her appearance and fears that she was losing too much weight.
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We all know the dangers of an extended time in space, with the astronauts now thrown into a 'brutal' 45-day regime to try and return their fitness to pre-flight levels. Wilmore's family has admitted his stamina isn't where it used to be, while Williams' family revealed the heartbreaking emails she sent while she was up there.
Having missed birthdays, anniversaries, and even Christmas, Williams has revealed what it was like when she learned their supposed eight-day mission was going to be extended.
Speaking to Fox News, the 59-year-old explained: "My first thought was we've just got to pivot. If this was the destiny of our spacecraft was going to go home based on decisions made here, and we're going to be up there until February, I was like, 'Okay, let's make the best of it'."
Their Boeing Starliner suffered an issue with its thrusters upon approaching the ISS, and in the end, it was deemed too risky to fly Williams and Wilmore back in it. The craft undocked on September 6, while the astronauts then awaited the arrival of Crew-9 with two spare seats. Even then, they had to wait until March 16 for the Crew-10 relief team to arrive and relieve them from their duty.
Saying that they'd planned and trained to be on the ISS for some part of time anyway, so it was a case of extending that knowledge, Williams added: "We were ready to just jump into it and take on the tasks that were given to us."
Wilmore then shared his thoughts on the moment they found out and added: "It’s not about me, it’s not about my feelings. It’s about what this human space flight program is about. It’s our national goals.
"I have to wrap myself, my mind, around ‘What does the nation need out of me right now?’ Did I think about not being there for my daughter’s high school year, of course, but compartmentalize...deal with the personal side of it, but I can’t let that interfere with what I’m called to do."
Despite the pair being grilled on who was at fault here, they both said they don't want to point fingers. Wilmore said it's important to learn from the mistakes rather than trying to shift the blame onto a person or company: "There were some shortcomings in tests. There were some shortcomings in preparation, that we did not foresee. Can you point fingers? I don't want to point fingers. I hope nobody wants to point fingers."
Either way, both Williams and Wilmore looked in high spirits and like they were overcoming the serious after effects of being up in space for so long.