It was June 5, 2024, then NASA launched two of its test pilots– Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams – into space. American astronaut Butch Wilmore and American astronaut of Indian origin Sunita Williams were expected to be in space for only eight days, but with technical problems with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft, the two have been stuck International Space Station (ISS) for over two months now. According to the latest reports, NASA says that Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams may be stuck in space for about eight more months and thus not be able to return to Earth until February 2025!
While the news of Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams being stuck in space has made headlines around the world, their families seemed less concerned about this development. Instead, both their families have said that astronauts must enjoy his time and his job in space.
Husband of Sunita Williams Michael J. Williams said, “It’s her happy place” even though she’s stuck in space, according to The Wall Street Journal’s report.

The report also shared a daily schedule for the astronauts. Sunita and Butch are on the ISS with seven other crew members where they spend the day working on scientific research and maintaining the spacecraft. They also participate in public outreach programs, such as live video Q&A sessions with students. Their daily schedule also includes exercising a few hours daily to avoid muscle, weight or bone loss and sleeping for at least eight hours.
The astronauts are also connected to their families on Earth via e-mail.

Butch Wilmore’s family also didn’t seem to worry much about his long stay in space. His wife Deanna said, according to a New York Post report, “We’re probably not expecting him until February, February or March (2025).” But they are in regular contact with Wilmore, his daughter Daryn confirmed, telling WVLT, “It’s so cool, he gives us a lot of views of the Earth, I especially like to see the sunset.”
Meanwhile, both Butch and Sunita also seem calm and confident about their unexpectedly long stay in space. “That mantra you’ve heard, failure is not an option, that’s why we’re staying here now… We trust that the tests we do are the ones we need to do to get the right answers, to give us the data that we need to come back,” Wilmore had reportedly said.