NASA's stuck astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore hit 6 months in space; just 2 more to go. The journey so far

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, currently in orbit for six months, will remain aboard the ISS until February.

Butch Wilmore and Indian-origin Sunita "Suni" Williams, known throughout the world as the stranded astronauts, completed six months in orbit on Thursday, with two more months to go.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, known as the stranded astronauts, finished six months in space on Thursday, with two months remaining.

On June 5, Butch Wilmore Sunita Williams launched into space, becoming the first to fly Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule on a week-long test voyage. They landed at the International Space Station the next day, after overcoming a series of engine problems and helium leaks. NASA considered the capsule too unsafe for a return journey, and therefore, their lengthy and difficult mission will not be completed until February.

While NASA management object to the term "stuck" or "stranded," the two former Navy captains dismiss the description of their situation. They swear they are OK and accept their destiny. Butch Wilmore views it as a detour of sorts: “We’re just on a different path.”

“I like everything about being up here,” Sunita Williams told students on Wednesday from an elementary school named for her in Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. "Just living in space is super fun.”

Both astronauts have lived up there before so they quickly became full-fledged members of the crew, helping with science experiments and chores such as fixing a broken toilet, vacuuming the air vents and watering the plants. Williams took over as station commander in September.

“Mindset does go a long way,” Butch Wilmore said in response to a question from Nashville first-graders in October. He’s from Mount Juliet, Tennessee. “I don’t look at these situations in life as being downers.”

Boeing returned their Starliner capsule empty in September, and NASA reassigned Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX voyage that would not return until late February. Two other astronauts were bumped to make room and adhere to the six-month crew rotation plan.

Wilmore and Williams, like the rest of the station crew, trained for spacewalks and other unforeseen scenarios.

“When the crews go up, they know they could be there for up to a year,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio discovered this the hard way when the Russian Space Agency had to hurry up a new capsule for him and two cosmonauts in 2023, extending their six-month mission to just over a year.

Boeing stated this week that the advice from Wilmore and Williams has been "invaluable" in the continuing investigation into what went wrong. The firm stated in a statement that it is preparing for Starliner's next voyage but declined to say when it may fly again.

NASA also has high praise for the pair.

“Whether it was luck or whether it was selection, they were great folks to have for this mission,” NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, said during an interview with The Associated Press.

On top of everything else, Williams, 59, has had to deal with “rumors,” as she calls them, of serious weight loss. She insists her weight is the same as it was on launch day, which Polk confirms.

During Wednesday's student chat, Williams said she didn't have much of an appetite when she first arrived in space. But now she's “super hungry” and eating three meals a day plus snacks, while logging the required two hours of daily exercise.

Astronauts Williams and Wilmore juggle space and family

Williams, a distance runner, utilises the space station treadmill to promote events in her home state. She took part in Cape Cod's 7-mile Falmouth Road Race in August. She also raced the 2007 Boston Marathon up there.

She brings a New England Patriots shirt and a Red Sox spring training shirt with her to games.

“Hopefully I’ll be home before that happens -- but you never know,” she said in November. Husband Michael Williams, a retired federal marshal and former Navy aviator, is caring for their dogs back home in Houston.

As for Wilmore, 61, he's missing his younger daughter's senior year in high school and his older daughter's theater productions in college.

“We can’t deny that being unexpectedly separated, especially during the holidays when the entire family gets together, brings increased yearnings to share the time and events together,” his wife, Deanna Wilmore, told the AP in a text this week. Her husband “has it worse than us” since he's confined to the space station and can only connect via video for short periods.

“We are certainly looking forward to February!!” she wrote.