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- Two NASA astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station due to Boeing Starliner delays.
- Butch Wilmore has been camping in a sleeping bag in the Japanese Space Agency's module, Time reported.
- The duo are likely working odd jobs on the ISS now while waiting to come home, per Time.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station due to delays with the Boeing Starliner aircraft, previously said they were doing great while waiting to come back to Earth.
In a press conference on July 10, Williams said they were having a good time on the ISS and that it "feels good to float around." And Wilmore said he was "absolutely confident" the Starliner will get them home safe.
But according to a report by Time editor Jeffrey Kluger, who covers space and science, Wilmore is roughing it out during his stay.
Wilmore, per Kluger, was prepared to rest in a sleeping bag in the Japanese Space Agency's Kibo module for eight days. But that trip on June 5 has extended well beyond two months, and it may be February 2025 when the astronauts are brought back to Earth.
According to NASA, the ISS only has six private sleeping quarters. Time reported that each quarter has a sleeping bag, a storage area for snacks and personal belongings, and two laptops attached to the walls.
But Wilmore and Williams joined an international crew of seven people already at the ISS — so the sleep cabins were already at maximum capacity.
Time reported that Williams camps with one of the astronauts in a basic sleep module called the CASA, or Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation.
And Wilmore has been given a sleeping bag to rest in, out in the Japanese module.
Kluger wrote that Williams joked to him in May before she left for space, saying: "Butch is going to have to rough it a little bit."
While they're stuck in space, the duo has likely also started working odd jobs on the ISS, per Time. They began with mission goals for the short stint they initially planned to be on, like carrying out checks on the Starliner after its test flight.
"But they long since finished up that checklist and have instead been assisting the rest of the crew with science experiments and maintenance chores, including such unglamorous work as repairing a urine processing pump," the Time report said.
The duo also packed a small selection of clothes, insufficient for a prolonged stay. But Time reported that a Northrop Grumman resupply spaceship delivered fresh clothes to both astronauts last week.
A waiting game
The astronauts have now spent more than 70 days in the ISS, with no immediate end in sight.
On August 7, NASA floated the possibility of using SpaceX's Crew Dragon to bring the duo down to Earth if the Starliner proves unviable.
However, the downside is that they will be stuck on the International Space Station for about eight months longer than planned and will only be able to return in February 2025.
The Starliner spaceship had thruster issues and helium leaks as it approached the ISS in June. Even after weeks of testing and troubleshooting, NASA still has concerns about the aircraft's ability to bring the astronauts home.
Williams, who NASA selected as an astronaut in 1998, spent 322 days in space before the Starliner project. Wilmore, a NASA astronaut since 2000, spent 178 days in space before the Starliner launch.
Representatives for NASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.