It sounds less than ideal — but as the report notes, Williams and Wilmore’s difficulties don’t end with their sleeping arrangements.
As with every ISS mission, the Starliner astronauts initially had specific jobs to do on board the station that would have eaten up their eight-day journey. As Time reports, their main priority was checking in on the Boeing capsule and making sure its communications, life support, and other essential functions were in good shape.
With that checklist done and their journey having been extended until possibly February due to Starliner’s technical issues, Wilmore and Williams have instead been assisting their fellow crew members with their tasks and experiments, including repairing a urine processing pump.
Beyond that lovely job, Wilmore and Williams were also forced to stretch their clothing rations because there’s no laundry on board the ISS. Generally speaking, astronauts pack enough clothes for the length of their journey, and with their trip home having been pushed back repeatedly, the Starliner crew had to make do until a Northrop Grumman resupply mission finally came to deliver them new clothes earlier this month.
And remember that everyone you love is down there and you can’t even hug your kids. But hopefully you can fix that urine recycling system before everyone dies of thirst.
I think the astronaut life is not for you…
Some people would happily accept the indignities of space flight, for the unique opportunity to go.
And as you point out, fixing the urine recycling system is a critical job, it’s not like it’s busy work. If it doesn’t get repaired, everyone dies of thirst.
It’s not. For sure. Actually getting kind of creepy with projecting his attachments onto them with every post about the mission.
They thought they were going to be there for eight days. That is what they happily accepted.
I might happily accept a vacation to Tuscany, but if I found out I couldn’t leave or see my family for months after I got there, my mind might be different on the subject. And I wouldn’t be stuck in a little space station.
Uhh… I’ve never heard a single astronaut say “I wish I’d spent less time in orbit”.
Most astronauts sign up because they want to go to space, but then they end up only spending 1-6 months in space over the entirety of their career.
Imagine you wanted to be a chef, so you went to the finest culinary schools and then eventually for a job at an acclaimed restaurant. But then you had to just peel potatoes for years, before finally they let you be a provisional chef for a week and you actually got to use the skills you trained for, but still knowing that they’ll put you back on boring prep duty at the end of the week… But then at the end of the week the head chef gets sick and he’s out for the whole month! How would that feel?
Remember, this isn’t a vacation, this is their career. This is what they want to do. And these people have the most impressive resumes you’ve ever seen in your life, no joke, reading one is intimidating. They could do just about anything they want, and they choose this.
Because there’s never been a situation like this before.
And chefs get to go home and see their kids every night.
Their family is so close too, around 200 miles away.
Way closer than if you’re serving in the military overseas! That could be thousands of miles away!
Well you’re closer for at least for some of the day… Which is about 45 minutes long because you’re orbiting so fast…
Ok, so you’re not really closer, but sometimes you are, if you squint!
You are flying in space. Space. If you are in that situation, know you’ll eventually get home, but “I can’t hug my kids!” is the thought in your head, then you don’t deserve to be an astronaut. There are thousands of others who would happily take your place who don’t have some primal need to always be around their family. This isn’t a 3rd grade slumber party for fuck sakes.
Removed by mod
They were going to be up there for a shorter time. Now they aren’t. They planned for an eight-day trip.
Removed by mod
I’m not sure how their being test pilots makes it any less horrible for them to be stuck somewhere for months when it was only supposed to be eight days.
Do test pilots not find being separated from their children as sad a thing as everyone else who has children? I am guessing, in general, test pilots want to be with their children as much as most parents do.
Removed by mod
Sorry… you think their kids would hate them if they turned down an eight-day trip to space that ended up lasting months?
“I wish I spent months without my mom/dad” is generally not something kids who aren’t in abusive relationships think.
Do you even have any kids?
Removed by mod
Loving your family and wishing to hug your children? No outerspace mission for you!
Weak and pathetic. You should be willing to throw your family in a wood chipper at a moment’s notice for a chance to space, you ingrate gravity over.
Well it’s not that you wouldn’t “deserve” to be an astronaut, it’s not about entitlement. It’s that an astronaut is not the right job for you, you’d probably be happier in another role.