Suni Williams, Astronaut Suni Williams sets new record on Spacewalk outside ISS
Sunita Williams (NASA) and Barry Wilmore (NASA) have been aboard the International Space Station, or ISS, since June, despite their initial intention to stay only eight days. They will be back on Earth by late March. Williams broke the record Thursday because of their extended stay. Williams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalking, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who had 60 hours and 21 minutes. According to Space.com, Williams now has 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalking, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Whitson, who had 60 hours and 21 minutes.
On this most recent spacewalk, the two worked to finally remove a faulty radio-communications unit, one that astronauts on two previous spacewalks were unable to remove.
Williams previously teamed up with astronaut Nick Hague for a spacewalk on Jan. 16. NASA reported that Williams and Hague had replaced a rate-gyro that maintains the orientation of an orbital outpost. The astronauts also installed patches to cover damaged areas of light filters on the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray telescope, replaced a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters, and checked access areas and connector tools that astronauts will use for future Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer maintenance.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams is seen outside the International Space Station during the Jan. 16, 2025, spacewalk.
NASA
Trump and Musk
The space astronauts are not abandoned. NASA and Boeing engineers found problems with the spacecraft which took the astronauts to space and decided to return it to Earth without crew. It’s not clear what Musk can do since both astronauts are scheduled to return home in a capsule built by SpaceX and the capsule is already docked with the ISS. So technically, the astronauts could go home at any time, but that would leave the space station short-staffed and jeopardize projects, NPR says.The two astronauts say that while they miss their families, they’ve still got work to keep them busy.
“Eventually we wanna go home,” said Williams in a recent news conference. “We have a lot of work to do before we leave. We left our families some time ago. “
February return is now March
Recently, NASA pushed back Williams and Wilmore’s return to Earth from February to late March.
“NASA and SpaceX assessed various options for managing the next crewed handover, including using another Dragon spacecraft and manifest adjustments,” according to a NASA press release issued on Dec. 17. After careful consideration, NASA and SpaceX determined that launching Crew-10 late March after completion of the new Dragon was the best option to meet NASA’s requirements for space station goals for 2025. This new craft will carry four astronauts to the ISS: Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Pskov, Japanese astronaut Takuya onishi, and commander Anne McClain. Williams and Wilmore don’t seem to mind their extended stay. Living in space is a lot of fun. The Washington Post reports that they have contributed to more than 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months on board. They have aided in more than 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months on board, the Washington Post reports.
Here’s what you need to know about what the two astronauts are up to.
Who are the astronauts?
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts and are both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been an astronaut with NASA since 1998 and Wilmore, since 2000. Both have plenty of experience in space.
Williams is the former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, she ran the first marathon by any person in space.
In 2009, Wilmore piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to manufacture a tool — a ratchet wrench — in space, the first time humans manufactured something off-world.
What was their original mission in space?
Wilmore, as commander, and Williams, as pilot, traveled to the ISS on a 15-foot-wide, Boeing-made capsule called Starliner. The launch was on June 5, and the docking with the ISS took place on June 6. NASA hopes Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to and from the ISS, and the fact that it’s Boeing-made is another sign that NASA is starting to lean on the private sector for its human spaceflight options, The New York Times reported.
Wilmore and Williams’ ISS mission was supposed to last a mere eight days, during which they’d test out aspects of Starliner and see how it operates with a human crew in space. The two astronauts remain in space due to Starliner problems. Williams told a live audience in September that they had both “trained for many years” to be able to complete the mission, despite its short duration. The astronauts will be working on maintenance, research and data analysis while they are in orbit. “I’m happy. Butch doesn’t mind that we are up here for two extra weeks. “
Wilmore and Williams responding to media questions back in March.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images
How did they get stuck in space in the first place?
The Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Engineers then had to fix the helium leak. Boeing has bad news. It is competing with SpaceX which has successfully transported astronauts to the ISS for over 20 trips since 2020. Starliner launched on an Atlas V rocket on June 5th, but it was not without problems. NASA reported that there were three leaks of helium, two of which were new and one was already known prior to flight. The crew also had to fix faulty control thrusters. However, the craft was able dock successfully with the ISS despite the leaks.
SpaceX also has experienced failures. In 2016, a Falcon 9 rocket exploded at the launchpad. The New York Times reported that a Falcon 9 rocket suffered a leak of liquid oxygen in July this year and sent its satellites into the wrong orbit.
Stuck in space: A timeline
May: Starliner launch delayed due to a problem with a valve on the rocket, and then a helium leak.
Stuck in space: A timeline
May: Starliner launch delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket, and then a helium leak.
June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore on board.
June 6: Starliner docks with ISS despite dealing with three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
Sept. Starliner docks with ISS despite three helium leaks and failed control thrusters. 28: SpaceX Crew-9 mission launches with Hague and Gorbunov on a Dragon spacecraft.
Sept. SpaceX Dragon docks at ISS on 29th September.
Dec. NASA announced that the launch of the four astronauts to the ISS would be delayed to late March.
