Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were launched into space in June for what was to be a weeklong test flight. Little over six months later, Williams and Wilmore continue to be “stuck” in space.
NASA in the past months has rejected insinuations suggesting that the duo is stuck or stranded. Williams and Wilmore, too, have assured the world that they are in fact glad to be onboard the International Space Station (SS) for an extended period. Williams once described space as her “happy place”.
So, what are Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore up to in space?
On November 30, Williams reached a milestone, when she completed her 500th day in space. Williams is currently the commander of NASA’s Expedition 72, while Wilmore is a flight engineer for the same. They are currently tasked with carrying out several experiments for research and collecting data. The research samples collected will be sent back on SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule to be analysed on Earth.
Sunita Williams onboard the ISS (NASA/Screenshot)
Growing lettuce in space
In a blog published on December 6, NASA shared that Williams had trimmed the red romaine lettuce leaves being grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat. Astronauts have been experimenting with growing crops in space through a fully-automated chamber onboard the ISS.
Prepping for a spacewalk
Two members of the Expedition 72 crew, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, are set for a spacewalk on December 19. The six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk will be the first excursion for the expedition. Thereafter, a series of spacewalks has been scheduled for early next year. Williams has been carrying out safety inspections of spacesuits, including life-saving gear ahead of scheduled spacewalks.
A haircut in space
NASA shared a video of Wilmore giving a haircut to astronaut Nick Hague, another member of the Expedition 72 crew, onboard the ISS. The astronauts use a special clipper, which uses an attached vaccum to ensure the trimmed hair doesn’t float away.
Birthdays in space
On December 4, Williams spoke to school students in Massachusets over a video call, answering their questions on life in space. Williams revealed that for birthdays, the astronauts furnish some sort of a cake with cinnamon buns and icing made from chocolate or lemon meringue pudding.
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Diet in space
Williams also spoke about how she didn’t feel that hungry in the initial days of being in space. Having been in space for a long time now and amid tons of exercising in order to maintain muscle mass, Williams says she’s now “eating quite a bit”.
Sunita Williams holds a packet of Indian food onboard the International Space Station (ISS) (Youtube/NASA)
Her morning starts with a citrus fruit salad. Williams said she also has Indian food, which only needs to be heated up. She also showed a packet of spicy Caribbean chicken that can be eaten once water is added.
Williams also showed how astronauts can drink liquids like pineapple juice through straws from a silver bag.
16 sunrises and sunsets in a day
Williams said that astronauts can witness upto 16 sunrises and sunsets in a day. This is because the ISS orbits the Earth completely every 90 minutes.
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The astronaut also explained that during a solar eclipse, the astronauts see the shadow of the moon, or a black circle, passing over the Earth.
Why is Sunita Williams stuck in space?
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS on June 6 onboard Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. They were to return to Earth in a week’s time. However, the capsule suffered multiple thruster failures and helium leaks, causing NASA to deem it too risky for a return flight.
When will Sunita Williams come back on Earth?
Williams and Wilmore are expected to return on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule in February 2025.
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