Fix toilets, grow plants, call home: Stuck astronauts have 'constant to-do list'

Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams are stuck up in space for another six months after launching on a trip that was supposed to last just over a week, but they'll have plenty to keep them busy on the International Space Station.

The two veteran space travelers arrived at the space station in June aboard the Boeing Starliner, designed to shuttle people and supplies to the space station for NASA. After issues with the craft's thrusters and a helium leak, officials decided the Starliner would return to Earth without them.

Now, Wilmore and Williams are set to join the delayed SpaceX Crew-9 for its six-month rotation mission, which could start on Sept. 24. (That mission hasn't launched yet and could be delayed, too.)

The news that the astronauts will remain in space for months offers an answer to what had been an open-ended question as to when Wilmore and Williams would have their feet back on the ground. If all goes according to plan, they should be hitching a ride with Crew-9 in late February.

The pair have both ventured into space twice before and are military veterans; they know how to be adaptable and resilient, said Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut who has logged over 570 hours in space.

"Now they know what the new plan is, I think they're probably both embracing it as best they can," Massimino told USA TODAY. "In their career as military aviators, they've had plans change and know how to be flexible."

WHAT WENT WRONG?Boeing Starliner astronauts are 'stuck' aboard space station until February

What will the astronauts do now?

Wilmore and Williams have integrated as part of the team on board the space station, which means they're performing routine maintenance tasks and conducting science experiments daily. In the over two months since they arrived, they've done research on fluid physics, plant facility maintenance, robotic operations and observations of Earth, according to NASA.

Their experiments aim to find ways to overcome a lack of gravity to water plants: "Providing adequate water and nutrition to plants grown in space is critical as missions expand in low Earth orbit and beyond to the Moon and eventually Mars," NASA said.

Maintenance of the space station is an ongoing operation for astronauts on board, according to Terry Virts, a former NASA astronaut and commander of the space station. The station has all kinds of systems that make it possible for humans to survive in space and need repairs and maintenance: fans, air conditioners, electronic communications equipment, carbon dioxide removal systems, and the list goes on.

"There's a constant to-do list. Literally every day of your life on the space station, or almost every day, there will be some kind of maintenance. Fix the toilet or change out a fan or light bulb," Virts told USA TODAY.

Six months isn't an unusual length of time for astronauts to spend aboard the space station, so there's no worry about food or other supplies running out for them, and routine supply shipments are sent up. All things considered, it's a pretty safe place for them to be when something on a spaceship has gone wrong, Massimino said.

Astronauts' daily lives in space don't look too different than our lives on Earth, he said. Aside from the scientific research and spacewalks they might complete, astronauts usually exercise at least six days a week. They have time off their tasks on the weekends and celebrate holidays in space. They often pick up hobbies like reading or photography – and what incredible subject material to shoot.

Wilmore and Williams have snapped hundreds of photographs of Earth, including auroras and sunrises and sunsets, NASA said.

"It's a great opportunity to be able to spend all that time in space," Massimino said.

The astronauts can also remain connected to family and friends, with access to email, phone and video calls, Massimino said.

How does it feel to be 'stuck' in space?

Virts knows firsthand what it's like to get the news that he won't be returning to Earth as scheduled. In 2015, he was on board the space station when his trip was extended from a planned 169 days to 200 days after a Russian cargo spaceship lost control and burned up in the atmosphere. Before his return was rescheduled as an investigation was underway, Virts was left to wonder how long he'd be away from home.

"It was just a giant unknown," he said. "We'd all made our summer plans. I had a family, there was travel that was involved. All that stuff was set up, and it just suddenly ended."

Virts said it was hard on his family. His teenage son learned to drive while he was away in space. When he got back and had recovered from the effects of space on his body, the two went car shopping.

"There's just daily life," he said. "Basically, all astronaut spouses are single parents while those astronauts are in space. So it's not easy."

But he said Wilmore and Williams may have looked on the bright side when they first learned they weren't returning on schedule. Eight days (the length of their originally planned trip) is hardly enough time to enjoy space.

Delays are a risk of space travel

It's not the first time a space trip ended up lasting much longer than anticipated due to mechanical issues with the spacecraft.

Astronaut Frank Rubio broke the record for the longest consecutive time spent in space by an American after the capsule meant to take him back to Earth was damaged by a piece of space junk. He landed back on Earth on Sept. 27, 2023, after 371 days in orbit.

It was out of an abundance of caution that NASA and Boeing decided to bring Starliner back without Wilmore and Williams. Massimino said they're likely confident that the ship will come back safely while empty, but adding people in "raises the stakes."

Delays and issues with spacecraft, while unexpected, are one of the possibilities that all astronauts face when they set off, Virts said. It was a surprise for him when his trip home was delayed, but in the case of Wilmore and Williams, their trip was on a test flight.

"I'm sure that the two Boeing astronauts knew that this might happen," he said. "You never know. It's space travel. Things happen."

Contributing: Eric Lagatta