Who are the Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck in space, and why are they still there?
They’re outer this world.It’s been almost six months since technical issues stranded NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams onboard the International Space Station.Since their Boeing shuttle malfunctioned in June, what was supposed to be just a short eight-day trip has turned into another disaster for the aerospace manufacturer — as the astronauts have many more weeks in limbo before returning home.More recently, a pulmonologist told the told the Daily Mail that recent photos of Williams show concerning signs regarding her physique.“What you’re seeing … is somebody that I think is experiencing the natural stresses of living at a very high altitude, even in a pressurized cabin, for extended periods,” Gupta said.“Her cheeks appear a bit sunken — and usually it happens when you’ve had sort of total body weight loss.”This could be due to the impacts of life in space, resulting in her burning more calories than she is consuming as astronauts are urged to eat well above average at about 3,500 calories per day — mostly of meat — because of high exercise and activity.“Her body’s probably working harder to do basic things, because the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than it would be on sea level.”Williams is a 59-year-old astronaut from Euclid, Ohio who has flown two prior missions to the ISS in the mid-2000s and early 2010s before re-embarking into space last June.
She has previously worked with robotics onboard the ISS.Barry “Butch” Wilmore is another seasoned astronaut who has flown two space missions in the late 2,000s and mid-2010s where he has done several spacewalks.The 61-year-old hails from Helenwood, Tennessee.Both seasoned astronauts have spent lengthy cumulative durations in space, according to NASA.
During her first mission, Williams, who has spent a total of 322 days in space, set a female record at the time for four spacewalks that totaled 29 hours and 17 minutes.Wilmore has had 178 days total in space.On Jun...