Stranded NASA Astronauts on the ISS Catch Sight of the 'Twilight Zone'

NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore have reached their six-month milestone of being stranded on the International Space Station, despite initially planning to stay for just eight days. And now, one of their fellow astronauts has snapped a photo from the "Twilight Zone." 

No, not the famed Rod Serling TV show. On Saturday, astronaut Don Pettit shared a photo of some very cool clouds, with an explanation of why he's dubbing it the Twilight Zone.

"Living in the Twilight Zone," Pettit said. "Our orbit on @Space_Station now is aligned with Earth's day-night shadow thus we see neither full day nor full night. This is the best time to photograph clouds under low angle lighting."

But Willians and Wilmore, who should come back home to Earth in 2025, don't feel like their extended stay has fallen under dark clouds.

"I like everything about being up here," Williams said Wednesday. "Living in space is super fun."

The astronauts are keeping busy, with Williams and Wilmore assisting the other ISS residents in space botany studies and other research, according to NASA's ISS blog. They have aided in more than 60 scientific studies in their nearly six months on board, the Washington Post reports.

Here's what you need to know about what the two astronauts are up to.

Who are the astronauts?

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are veteran astronauts and are both naval officers and former test pilots. Williams has been a NASA astronaut since 1998, and Wilmore since 2000. Both have plenty of experience in space.

Williams is the former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes), and in 2007, she ran the first marathon by any person in space.

In 2009, Wilmore piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the ISS, and in 2014, he was part of the ISS crew that used a 3D printer to manufacture a tool -- a ratchet wrench -- in space, the first time humans manufactured something off-world.

What was their original mission in space?

Wilmore, as commander, and Williams, as pilot, traveled to the ISS on a 15-foot-wide, Boeing-made capsule called Starliner. They launched on June 5 and docked with the ISS on June 6. NASA hopes Starliner will give the organization a new way to get crews to and from the ISS, and the fact that it's Boeing-made is another sign that NASA is starting to lean on the private sector for its human spaceflight options, The New York Times reported.

Wilmore and Williams' ISS mission was supposed to last a mere eight days, during which they'd test out aspects of Starliner and see how it operates with a human crew in space. But due to complications with Starliner, the two astronauts are still up there and won't be back before 2025. 

What are the astronauts eating?

Food on the ISS is a major focus, as fresh produce must be replenished every three months with deliveries from Earth. On Nov. 23, the unpiloted Progress 90 resupply spacecraft successfully docked to the ISS. But the latest food delivery came with an unwanted smell.

"After opening the Progress spacecraft's hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment," a NASA representative said in a statement posted to social media.

"Space station air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored the station's atmosphere following the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined air quality inside the space station was at normal levels," NASA said. "There are no concerns for the crew, and as of Sunday afternoon, the crew is working to open the hatch between Poisk and Progress while all other space station operations are proceeding as planned."

NASA revealed that their menu includes cereal with powdered milk, pizza, shrimp cocktails, roast chicken and tuna.

The smell that came along with the spacecraft isn't the only food-related concern of late, with some publications questioning the astronauts' thin appearance based on recent photos. 

Dr. J.D. Polk, NASA chief health and medical officer, made an official statement saying Williams and Wilmore are just fine. "NASA and our partners have safely conducted long duration missions aboard the orbital laboratory for decades, studying the effects of space on the human body as we prepare for exploration farther into the solar system," Polk said. "Crew health is regularly monitored by dedicated flight surgeons on Earth, and they have an individual diet and fitness regime to ensure they remain healthy throughout their expeditions."

Williams said she weighs the same as she did when she reached the space station, in a video interview conducted Nov. 12 on the ISS.

How they'll return to Earth in early 2025

In June, the two NASA astronauts landed on the ISS. In September, their defective Boeing Starliner capsule returned to Earth without them for safety reasons.

The Starliner returned alone to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Sept. 6 and the spacecraft that will bring them home -- a SpaceX Dragon -- arrived at the ISS on Sept. 29. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov joined them on board the space station with that late September arrival of the Dragon spacecraft. Four crew members were originally scheduled to be on board at launch, but two stayed behind to make room for Wilmore and Williams' return trip.

Wilmore and Williams will be brought home on the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft early next year and "will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025," the space agency said in a statement. "They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission."

"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement on Aug. 24. "A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing's Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star."

What are the astronauts saying?

The astronauts have been positive about their experience. At a live news conference in September, Williams said that despite knowing their mission was scheduled to take only eight days, they'd both been "training for a number of years" for it. They're fully qualified to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to help pilot the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that'll bring them home next year.

"It's very peaceful up here," Williams said on Sept. 13, though she added that they miss their families back on Earth.

The astronauts are working on research, maintenance and data analysis during their extended stay.

"We are having a great time here on ISS," Williams said in a news conference held from orbit in July. "I'm not complaining. Butch isn't complaining that we're up here for a couple of extra weeks."

Wilmore and Williams responding to media questions back in March.

Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

How did they get stuck in space in the first place?

The Starliner was delayed in May due to a problem with a valve in the rocket. Then engineers had to fix a helium leak. That's all bad news for Boeing. It's competing with SpaceX, which has been transporting astronauts to the ISS since 2020, making over 20 successful trips to the space station.

Starliner finally launched, atop an Atlas V rocket, on June 5, but some problems came along with it. NASA announced that three helium leaks were identified, one of which was known before flight, and two new ones. In addition to the leaks, the crew had to troubleshoot failed control thrusters, though the craft was able to successfully dock with the ISS. 

SpaceX has had failures too. A Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launchpad in 2016. In July of this year, a Falcon 9 rocket experienced a liquid oxygen leak and deployed its satellites in the wrong orbit, The New York Times reported. And a Falcon 9 rocket in late August lost a first-stage booster when it toppled over into the Atlantic Ocean and caught fire.

But that said, SpaceX has more than 300 successful Falcon 9 flights to its credit. 

Stuck in space: A timeline

• May: Starliner launch delayed due to a problem with a valve in the rocket, and then a helium leak.
• June 5: Starliner launches with Williams and Wilmore on board.
• June 6: Starliner docks with ISS despite dealing with three helium leaks and failed control thrusters.
• Sept. 6: Starliner departs ISS and lands in New Mexico, leaving Williams and Wilmore behind.
• Sept. 28: SpaceX Crew-9 mission launches with Hague and Gorbunov on a Dragon spacecraft.
• Sept. 29: SpaceX Dragon docks with ISS.
• February 2025 onward: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov.