NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore spent nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station after their planned eight-day mission turned into an unexpected ordeal due to a spacecraft malfunction

NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore embarked on a mission that was supposed to last just over a week. Instead, they found themselves trapped in orbit for 288 days, battling the physical toll of prolonged weightlessness and the uncertainty of when—or if—they would return to Earth.

The duo launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner Calypso on June 5, 2024, with expectations of spending only eight days on the International Space Station (ISS). However, as the spacecraft neared the station, its thrusters malfunctioned. With no immediate solution in sight, NASA made the call: Williams and Wilmore would remain aboard the ISS until a viable return plan was formulated. That decision stretched into a gruelling nine-month stay.

This mission unexpectedly placed them among NASA’s longest-serving astronauts in space. Though Frank Rubio still holds the record for the longest NASA mission—spending over a year on the ISS—Williams and Wilmore’s unplanned extended stay comes with its own unique complications. Prolonged exposure to microgravity affects the human body in ways researchers are still struggling to fully understand.

Spending nearly a year in space can lead to permanent physiological changes. Bone density loss, muscle atrophy, and even alterations to vision are among the known risks. NASA doctors will now closely monitor Williams and Wilmore to assess any long-term health effects they may face.

Beyond physical deterioration, the psychological strain of their ordeal cannot be ignored. Extended missions test astronauts’ mental resilience, pushing them to endure isolation, confinement, and the ever-present uncertainty of their return.

NASA, along with Boeing engineers, worked tirelessly to resolve the Starliner’s issues, ensuring a safe return journey for the astronauts. The exact nature of the technical failures remains under scrutiny, as the agency aims to prevent similar incidents in future missions.

Now back on Earth, Williams and Wilmore will undergo extensive medical evaluations, providing crucial data for future deep-space exploration efforts, including planned missions to Mars.

NASA’s prolonged space missions have continually reshaped what is known about the human body’s ability to withstand the extreme environment of space. While this unexpected mission extension may have yielded invaluable scientific insights, it also serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable dangers astronauts face every time they leave Earth.

As Williams and Wilmore adjust to life back on solid ground, one question lingers: how much of their bodies—changed by nearly a year in space—will ever truly return to normal?