NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore held their first press conference on Monday since returning to Earth after an unexpectedly prolonged stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The two astronauts, who spent 286 days in space due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, addressed speculation regarding their status and dismissed claims that they were “stuck” or “marooned”.
The press conference came two weeks after their return and served as a platform for Williams and Wilmore to provide clarity on their extended mission. They stated that while their original 10-day trip turned into a nine-month stay, they never felt abandoned or in need of rescue, despite political controversy back on Earth.
Wilmore made it clear that their training had prepared them for various contingencies. “The stuck and marooned narrative…yes, we heard about that,” Wilmore acknowledged. “But because we’re in human spaceflight, we prepare for any number of contingencies. This is a curvy road. You never know where it’s going to go.”
Their spacecraft, Boeing’s Starliner, faced technical difficulties that prevented their planned return, forcing them to integrate into the ISS crew. Williams and Wilmore took on routine duties as astronauts aboard the ISS until a safe return was arranged. On March 18, they finally splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, as part of a routine NASA crew rotation.
Pushing back against political narratives
Their extended mission had sparked controversy on the ground, with claims, amplified by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, that they had been abandoned in space due to government mismanagement. During a separate interview with Fox News, Wilmore refuted these claims, saying that they were never “left and forgotten”.
“Stuck? Okay, we didn’t get to come home the way we planned. But in the big scheme of things, we weren’t stuck,” Wilmore said. “We planned and trained. Let me comment back on this other [claim], you know, ‘They failed you.’ Who? Who’s they?” Wilmore asked.
Williams, for her part, said she was largely unaware of the political discussions while in space, focusing instead on her responsibilities aboard the ISS. “You sort of get maybe a little bit tunnel-visioned…you do your job type of thing, right and so you’re not really aware of what else is going on down there,” she explained.
“I hate to say that maybe the world doesn’t revolve around us, but we revolve around the world,” she quipped, adding, “I think we were just really focused on what we were doing and trying to be part of the team.”
Nick Hague, commander of Crew-9 and one of the astronauts who returned with Williams and Wilmore, reinforced the point that political debates did not influence mission decisions. “The politics, kind of, they don’t make it up there when we’re trying to make operational decisions,” he said. “As the commander, I’m responsible for the safety of this crew and getting them back safely,” Hague added.
Despite the unexpected extension of their mission, Wilmore and Williams underscored that they were never in danger and remained confident in NASA’s protocols.