The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed on Wednesday that astronaut Sunita Williams's health and fitness “routine” was changed while in space on the current mission. Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore are on an extended mission on the International Space Station (ISS) after NASA decided to ditch Boeing's Starliner and bring them back from space on a SpaceX craft.
Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to remain in space for a few days after they took off for the International Space Station on June 5. However, their stay at the space station may now be for longer than eight months due to technical difficulties with their spacecraft, Starliner.
If all goes well, the astronauts will now return to Earth on a SpaceX craft in February 2025, while the Starliner will return uncrewed on September 6 this year.
Dana Weigel, manager of the International Space Station, said on Wednesday that the routines of the two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, were “adjusted” as they shifted from a short-term mission to a longer-term mission.
“It was a test flight, and with intention, we put astronauts through long-duration space station training a few years ago. They finished all the same training that the normal expedition crew would do, fully qualified in the complex area to do spacewalks, robotics, etc. We had them well prepared to move into this role,” Weigel said.
She explained that there are a lot of differences in the exercise routine of short-duration and long-duration crew.
“Exercise is optional for the very shortest duration missions, something like an eight-day mission. When we do long-duration, we switch them over to a standard long-duration mission. So, as they have been on board the ISS, we have adjusted their routines and so on,” Weigel said.
She added that the two astronauts “are at the point where they are doing the normal routines and exercises we would do for long-duration crew members.”
The NASA official said they are following normal exercise regiments that include a high degree of cardio-vascular work as well as resistance training. “So they are doing the standard amount that we have all the crew members do at this point,” she added.
