When Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore set off in early June on the Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), they thought they’d be away for a week. But two months on, after issues with faulty thrusters, it’s still not clear when they’ll be able to return.
There are few people on earth who can say they have ever had their space mission delayed, but the former astronaut Mike Massimino is one of them.
“Those were glorious days for me,” Mike tells Helen Pidd. “There’s nothing on the checklist for us to do really, so we were just looking out the window and relaxing.”
“That was some of the best days on the mission for me, some of my best days of my life.”
The Guardian reporter Richard Luscombe also tells Helen what the delay means for Boeing, and what options the astronauts have for their return.
Photograph: Chris O’Meara/AP
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Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
