KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Getting stuck in space for months might not sound particularly pleasant, but two astronauts who were aboard the troubled Boeing Starliner spacecraft said they are having no trouble making the best of that very situation.
Butch Wilmore, a Tennessee native and "Big Orange" UT-Knoxville alumnus, and Suni Williams, an astronaut and Navy aviator, spoke publicly for the first time in months about how they are feeling after having to send their troubled Boeing Starliner spacecraft home without them.
The two were supposed to be in space for roughly eight days in June, but those eight days have turned into months after Starliner's test flight revealed several issues. Now they are expected to be on the International Space Station until February 2025 as part of the Expedition 71/72 ISS crew as they train and wait to fly back to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon craft.
NASA opened up time for media to speak with Wilmore and Williams on Friday for the first time since they learned they'd be stuck in space for months. The two answered questions about how they were holding up and how they felt about the situation. Both appeared to be in high spirits.
"It is very nice to talk to you from God's Country," Wilmore said. "I try not to fret over things I can't control. There's no benefit to it at all. We march forward and carry out the plan of the day."
The two said they don't feel "let down" by Boeing or NASA, saying the situation was unavoidable and that they anticipated the possibility of having to remain in space beforehand.
They said their mission as test pilots, in essence, was to discover the very problems they found with the Starliner and to adapt to the situation. Both spoke about how they tried to resolve the issues until it was agreed they had "run out of time" to return home on the spacecraft. With a little more time, Wilmore said he felt like that might have been a possibility.
"That is the nature of tests. You have to go with what the good Lord gives you, whatever that is," Wilmore said. "I don't look back and say, 'Would've, should've, could've.' This resiliency, it's not what we do at NASA, it's who we are. This is not an easy business, so we go with it. Whatever it is, we're going to do the very best job we can do every day."
For Wilmore, he said he didn't linger on it because he was used to long, unexpected deployment schedules as a Navy test pilot. He was more concerned about how his family back on Earth would take the news. He said he had events planned with his daughters this autumn that he won't be able to attend now, but said he tried to teach them about unexpected trials and how they make you stronger.
For Williams, she said she's making the best of her time in space. She called it her "happy place," saying she's writing weekly journals and recaps to send back to Earth to her loved ones.
The two said they are staying busy in the meantime by getting some on-the-job training and helping with the ISS mission, as well as training on the SpaceX craft.
The two are also staying physically fit and exercising in space in order to ensure the transition back to Earth's gravity will be smooth. Williams said every day up in space translates to a loss of bone density if they don't keep up with their exercise, so they are running on treadmills and lifting weights with this view out the windows:
"It is so much different being here than on Earth," Williams said. "Your perspective changes. It's very peaceful up here at times. It really is difficult for me to imagine people on Earth not getting along together. It's the one planet we have and we should all really be happy that we are there together."
Wilmore celebrated the Baseball Vols taking home the national championship from space. He joked with an ESPN reporter on the call that he could also make himself available this football season for something special.
"I can tell you if you are looking for a guest picker for College GameDay, give me a call," Wilmore said. "I've been asked several times and, yes, I do have the SEC Network."