In June 2024, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, together with their crew members Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov, left the earth for the International Space Station(ISS), which orbits about 250 miles above the earth.

They were supposed to were to spend only 8 days at ISS but they ended up spending 286 days which translates to nine months.

The four however returned to earth safe and sound on March 18, 2025 at around 22.00GMT, aboard Space X Capsule. The return journey that lasted 17 hours. Upon their arrival, they were all taken in for observation as their bodies adjusted to gravity.

Why they went to space

The individuals went to the International Space Station(ISS) in June last year. Their mission was to test  the Boeing Starliner capsule, an additional spacecraft that had been designed to ferry the crew to ISS and other low orbit destinations around the earth.

Their stay was however extended into 9 months after their return Starliner capsule developed technical problems. NASA had to send back the capsule to earth with no crew.

Politics has been mentioned as the cause of their long stay, with US president Donald Trump accusing his predecessor Joe Biden of stranding the astronauts in Space. The mission however underlined the dominance of SpaceX in the growing field of private spaceflight, and the comparative woes of Boeing, according to New York Times.

The bitter-sweetness of the astronauts space stay

Being away from family, friends and even the earth itself might have taken a toll on the affected scientists but they took it positively disputing the notion that they were left stranded and abandoned in Space.

“It’s work. It’s fun. It’s been trying at times, no doubt, But ‘stranded’? No. ‘Stuck’? No. ‘Abandoned’? No,” Wilmore told New York Time days before their grand return.

During their initial stay, they ran short of clothes and personal items, as they had only brought enough to last them 8 days. NASA however send them additional clothes and supplies a couple of months later through the Northrop Grumman cargo ship.

While at the space, they conducted maintenance works and spend nearly a thousand hours researching. Their research included studying whether earth’s microbes(tiny living things) would survive in space. They set up an experiment on how microbes produce nutrients. Additionally, they researched on how weightlessness affect microscopic organisms.

From the space, they were also able to witness breath taking scenes on the earth. They witnessed hurricane Beryl that struck Houston in July last year.

They were able to  get in touch with friends and family on earth as they had access to emails and video calls.

Risks of overstaying in space

Humans travelling to the space are however bound to experience five major hazards according to NASA. They include; space radiation, isolation and confinement, gravity and lack of it,  the long distance from the earth which makes it challenging to receive needs such as healthcare and food and finally hostile environment.

Because of zero gravity at space,  long stays weakens muscles and bone masses. Also without gravity, fluids in the body shift upwards and this could lead to swellings on the face, increased pressure to the skull and vision challenges. To avoid this, the astronauts worked out in a modified gym at ISS.

“The extreme environment of space, the radiation, the lack of gravity, even just those confined spaces, it can really take a toll on our health, Literally I would say pretty much from head to toe it can cause issues,” Dr. Farhan Asrar,  the associate dean of clinical faculty relations at Toronto Metropolitan University’s medical school, asserted. The doctor does researches on space medicine.