Cliff Notes
- Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams splashed down off the coast of Florida after being stranded at the ISS for over nine months due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
- Wilmore accepted partial responsibility for the prolonged mission, stating, “I’ll start with me,” while emphasising that multiple stakeholders, including NASA and Boeing, share the overall accountability.
- Williams remarked on the surprise surrounding public interest in their mission, highlighting the focus of their work on the ISS, which continued despite the extended duration in space.
Watch live as NASA astronauts who were stranded in space for months speak to media | US News
One of the astronauts who was stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) said some of the blame for what went wrong lies with him.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams splashed down off the coast of Florida earlier this month after more than nine months onboard the ISS.
The two astronauts docked at the ISS on 5 June last year, expecting to be there for just eight days. Instead, issues with Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner meant NASA decided to leave them waiting in orbit for months.
Additional sources
- ‘You can start with me’: Commander of NASA flight that was stranded in space for more than nine months says he is partly to blame – Sky News
- ‘We weren’t stuck’: Nasa astronauts tell of space odyssey and reject claims of neglect – The Guardian
- NASA astronauts reveal who was ‘to blame’ for getting ‘stranded’ in space in first speech since returning to earth – LBC
- ‘It’s weird’ – Nasa’s Butch and Suni adapt to life back on Earth – BBC News