Stranded NASA astronauts say being stuck in space is just part of the job

Caption

This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday. / AP

The NASA astronauts who were left stranded on the International Space Station because of technical issues with their spacecraft are keeping in good spirits — even planning to vote in November — the pair revealed in a space to Earth call with the media on Friday.

“We are pushing the edges of the envelope in everything that we do. And it is not easy,” mission commander Butch Wilmore said. “It's not an easy thing to do, but that's not why we do it. Maybe we do it because it's hard.”

Suni Williams, the mission’s pilot, and Wilmore were scheduled to spend just over a week aboard the ISS when they launched into the cosmos on June 5.

It has now been 100 days. And they won't be returning home until February.

Their extended stay in space was caused by technical issues with their ship, the Boeing Starliner, during what was initially supposed to be a final test flight before the Starliner would be certified by NASA for regular use in missions.

After deeming it potentially unsafe to have Williams and Wilmore return aboard the Boeing spacecraft, the Starliner made its way back to Earth unmanned, where it landed safely in the New Mexico desert last week.

“We're both Navy. We've both been on deployments,” Williams said. “We’re not surprised when deployments get changed.”

The problem with the Boeing Starliner is the latest in a series of PR blows to the aerospace juggernaut, which in addition to spacecraft also produces commercial airplanes.

Boeing's 737 MAX has faced safety concerns after two crashes left hundreds of passengers dead, and Boeing has struggled to repair the public perception of their company as being lax on air safety.

But when asked whether the crew felt let down that the Starliner had to return without them aboard, Wilmore said no.

"A very risky business"

“It's a very risky business. And things do not always turn out the way you want,” he said.

Drawing attention to Williams’ NASA logoed shirt, he said: “That represents something that we stand for as an agency. We go beyond. We do things that are out of the ordinary. We send humans to space.”

The two shared that while they missed their families and friends during missions, both the space flight veterans were enjoying the time aboard the ISS and the work that they were able to do as members of the crew.

The astronauts will miss Election Day on Earth in November, but that won't keep them from participating. "It's a very important duty that we have as citizens, and [we're] looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool," Williams said.

Wilmore credited his faith with keeping him resilient, and Williams described space as her “happy place.”

Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth in February aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members.