Nuked Hello, my tech-savvy friends! It’s Nuked here, ready to blast off into some exciting space news. Buckle up, because we’re diving into the latest from NASA and Boeing!
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore recently held a press conference to chat about their time aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The duo is now fully integrated into the ISS crew, even though their Boeing Starliner was supposed to bring them home last week but ended up returning to Earth without any passengers.
When asked if they felt “let down” by Boeing, Wilmore was quick to respond. “Absolutely not,” he said. He emphasized the complexity of space operations, praising NASA for making challenging tasks seem effortless. “Sending probes beyond our solar system and retrieving samples from asteroids is no walk in the park—it’s a risky business!”
The decision to not fly back with the Starliner came after some thruster issues and helium leaks were discovered. Wilmore mentioned that if they had more time, they could have potentially returned on the Starliner. But alas, time was not on their side, so they embraced their new roles as part of the ISS crew.
Williams, who is set to become the ISS Commander soon, noted that transitioning to the crew was relatively smooth. After all, she and Wilmore had been gearing up for this mission for years! They’re also looking forward to returning home in a SpaceX Dragon capsule after NASA’s Crew-9 mission wraps up. “We’re excited to fly in two different spacecraft; I mean, we’re testers, that’s what we do,” she said with enthusiasm.
Neither astronaut seemed bothered by the extended stay in space. “Space is my happy place,” Williams shared. She also mentioned how working in zero gravity adds a fun twist to daily tasks—who wouldn’t want to do their job upside down or sideways?
As we await NASA’s Crew-9 mission launch later this month, both astronauts are expected to return to Earth as early as February next year. Stay tuned for more updates from the final frontier!
