NASA astronauts speak out for the first time following unexpected nine-month mission to space
Topic:Space Exploration
6m ago6 minutes agoTue 1 Apr 2025 at 1:04am
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams smiling and sitting at a press conference
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said they would both strap into Starliner again. (AP: Ashley Landis)
In short:
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have told a news briefing they "always knew they were coming back" home after spending 286 days in space.
The astronauts said they would fly on the Starliner again given NASA and Boeing are "completely committed" to rectifying the issues encountered.
What's next:
The duo are scheduled to meet with Boeing leaders and engineers to discuss the flight's rundown and problems.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have spoken out for the first time since they returned to Earth after being stuck on the International Space Station for more than nine months.
At a news briefing held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore said they "were always coming back", despite the stream of rhetoric that said they were abandoned.
The duo launched to the space station in June 2024 on the first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule.
However, they encountered problems with the vehicle's thrusters during the docking process, forcing them to remain in orbit for 286 days.
"The plan went way off what we had planned, but because we're in human spaceflight, we prepare for any number of contingencies," Mr Wilmore said.
"This is a curvy road. You never know where it's going to go."
Mr Wilmore added that he wasn't blaming any organisation or anyone for what happened, even accepting some of the blame himself.
"I'll start and point the finger and I'll blame me," he said.
"I could have asked some questions [prior to the launch] and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide.
"All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this."
Butch Wilmore sitting at a press conference with a space logo behind him
Mr Wilmore said his view was he was partly responsible for what went wrong during the flight. (AP: Ashley Landis)
NASA said engineers still don't understand why Starliner's thrusters malfunctioned. More tests are planned through the American summer.
The pair are scheduled to meet with Boeing leaders, program managers and engineers this week to provide a rundown on the flight and its problems.
Go up again 'in a heartbeat'
NASA has yet to make a decision about the vehicle's next fight, including whether it will be crewed or uncrewed.
Still, duo have said they would fly on the Starliner again if given the opportunity.
"We're going to rectify the issues that we encountered," Mr Wilmore said.
"We're going to fix it. We're going to make it work.
"Boeing's completely committed. NASA is completely committed. And with that, I'd get on in a heartbeat."
Ms Williams noted that Starliner has "a lot of capability", saying she wanted to see it succeed.
Suni Williams smiles and gives a thumbs up while lying in a stretcher wearing a white padded suit and helmet
Ms Williams gives a thumbs-up after being helped out of a SpaceX capsule. (AP: NASA/Keegan Barber)
Acclimatising to life on Earth
The duo has been back on Earth now for nearly two weeks after flying home in a SpaceX Dragon capsule and splashing down on March 18 off the Florida coast.
After returning home, Ms Williams said she couldn't wait to hug her husband and her dogs.
She said she had been feeling good and went for a 3-mile (almost 5km) run yesterday — something she said was a testament to the astronauts' trainers, who were helping the crew re-acclimate to life on Earth again.
"The trainers are here right with us from day one when we landed, ready to, one, evaluate us and see how we're doing, and then work on a protocol to get us back," she said.
"And, like I said, I sneakily went for a run yesterday, but that's all as a result of their hard work."
Ms Williams also told reporters she ate a "good grilled cheese sandwich" when she arrived home.
A space capsule supported by parachutes splashes into the ocean.
Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore were only meant to be on the ISS for a week. (NASA/Keegan Barber Handout via Reuters)
Meanwhile, Mr Wilmore said he had already been given a to-do list by his wife.
She wants him to replace all the shrubs in their yard before summer.
"So I've got to get my body ready to dig holes," he told the Associated Press.
ABC with wires
Posted6m ago6 minutes agoTue 1 Apr 2025 at 1:04am
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