Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are stuck in space
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have been informed that they might not be rescued until February 2025. They are stranded on the International Space Station, more than 200 miles from Earth. The Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried the American pair into space in June had helium leaks, so they will now have to spend eight months there instead of the originally scheduled eight days mission.
In order to determine whether it is safe for them to return on the Boeing or if they will need to use one of Elon Musk's SpaceX vehicles, which are expected to arrive in February, the US space agency NASA is currently conducting tests. It's also not easy to live on the Space Station. Nine people are currently sharing the ISS's six sleeping quarters and two bathrooms. The scant supplies of water and food that come from Earth need to be handled with care.
Recycling and odour issues
As a member of the UK Space Agency's reserve team for space travel, British astronaut Meganne Christian has provided insight into the experiences Butch, 61, and Sunita, 58, will have while residing on the remote International Space Station. Meganne clarifies, saying that one must recycle and reuse as much as one can. Coffee from yesterday is coffee for today. It sounds repulsive. But by the time it reaches back, it has returned to being pure water. Body wastes that would otherwise float around in microgravity can be collected by a specialized suction-style toilet. There can be odour issues in space as showers are not available but there are methods for cleaning oneself. Essentially, one uses a damp towel that has some soap on it.
