Astronauts stuck in space, terrifying!

[Allnewtometoo]

I realise this happened a couple of months ago but I've only come across it today, and they're still there.

They went for 8 days, and likely to be there for 8 months.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4yqepr469o

Yes, this is true. Its a bit annoying when people imply that you can't be bothered to read an article properly though!

Thanks for watching it! I will post it again :)

There are actually 6 bunks, and the max crew size is 9, but not everyone is sleeping at the same time, as like on a ship, they work watches. As a day on the ISS is only 90 minutes long, you don't really have any kind of circadian rhythm, but they try to stick to a regular 24 hour Earth day.

This is indeed really bad for Boeing. The whole Starliner development has been a slow-motion car crash. It's seven years late and all three flights have had big problems. The contract Boeing signed for its development was a (more or less) fixed-price one which has led to them having $1.5B in losses on it. And it costs way more per-seat to launch than the Dragon capsule does, which has been successfully ferrying people to and from the ISS since 2020.

Boeing must be desperate to find ways to get out of this contract because it's costing them a fortune in both money and reputation that they'll never recoup.

Ok, firstly the caricatured suburban life you have portrayed here is nothing like my life. Secondly, why would I be on this thread at all if I wasn't curious about the situation? Thirdly, I have a crazy imagination. Always have done. Hence why my imagination went to what they are thinking about, and worrying about. Obviously it's not going to be accurate, because I don't know them, or their lives. But they still have families/worries etc. They're still humans even if their lives are very different. I think actually you are the one who is suffering from a failure of imagination here- by imagining that these people are superheroes who don't have worries or feelings.

They are amazing. I get ratty if my flight is delayed let alone that 😳

Bruce Willis AI avatar would easily fix it.

I read this earlier and shuddered. I imagine those astronauts have the psychological wherewithal to cope with it…up to a point at least. I would never go into space or deep under the sea. Luckily no one has ever suggested I do so, so I remain happily on land, grateful that there are humans more adventurous than me so that science can be advanced.

The ISS does have pretty good communications links with earth so the astronauts can at least keep in touch with friends and family back home. They're not completely cut off.

I think you lack imagination if you really believe that their normal life is so different to what you describe.

All the people I know who are extraordinary are also reassuringly normal.

"There is someone there now that has been there for 1,000 days."

No, that's their total amount of time in space over several missions.

Must be bad for their bones.

Calm down, dears!

I just meant that in a broad way it's similar to the Titan sub. Humans have gone into space/the sea, much of which is still unchartered, in a vehicle and now there's a question of how to get them back. So the world is watching, sort of thing.

Yes, clearly there are differences too. Professionals vs tourists. The level of alleged risk etc.

I didn't think the ISS was abandonned during Covid. The full complement of the human race has not been on earth since Nov 2000, I believe. I love that. Waving to the astronauts at th ISS was something my kids used to love to so when they were little.

OP, it's not exactly an Apollo 13 scenario. It's hard going and a pain in the ass, but no one is going to die.

If you watch the video I posted above you can see the exercise machines they have to use - they have to spend over 2 hours a day exercising in order to prevent muscular atrophy and osteoporosis.

sunita ran a marathon from space too!

Check out Sergei Krikalev he went up under the Soviet Union which then dissolved and they spent ages arguing who would bring him back 🤣

Yeah, this is the main story really - though obviously it's also a bit crappy for the astronauts too. But Boeing are supposed to be the great hope so that we don't have to be completely reliant on SpaceX (and Elon Musk) for all of our space travelling needs, including launching satellites and the lunar programmes. The US have poured an absolute fortune into them, and now they've finally managed to get people to the ISS (years late and wildly overbudget) they have to ask Musk to go fetch them. Not good.

Absolutely. Having US manned spaceflight be entirely reliant on Elon "petulant man-child" Musk is not a great position to be in.

Easy.

Put hair into ponytail with elastic band

Cut ponytail off on side near head (so cut off hair all tied together)

Throw ponytail in a bin

For those with hair too short for ponytail - wait for it to grow long enough

🙂

That was fascinating. It's not something I would have watched had I not clicked on this thread and seen your post. Thanks for sharing it!

I love the ISS! I bet the astronauts are actually buzzing that they get longer up there than they were expecting. Isn’t that the whole point of them, that they go to space?

Really bad news that all space travel seems to be becoming reliant on Elon Musk. Wish we could just fire him into space and be done with him.

I had no idea about this. Interesting, thanks for posting.

You don't see the problem?

It was meant to be for eight days, now there's talk of returning next year!

They're astronauts. They live for time in space. They didn't think they were heading off for a nice week in Corfu. It was a mission, and they knew that an entirely possible outcome was quick fiery death, or slow painful death, much less a longish stint up in space. I also wouldn't be surprised that they're actively happy to be up there for so long. Because again, they're astronauts. They have gone to incredible lengths and worked for years because they deeply, powerfully want to go to space.

Exactly. When things started to go wrong in the first place I’m sure they were prepared to die. This must be a win-win. It will always be a win-win to them no matter what happens. They would have no regrets I am sure.