Stranded Starliner: What space does to an astronaut's body

Experienced astronauts Williams and Wilmore, focused on a brief Starliner test flight, now face an extended stay on ISS due to spacecraft issues, with uncertainty around their return timeline. They confront radiation, microgravity, vision changes, bone loss, and psychological strain, but have ample supplies and support, as studied at DLR's :envihab lab.

Boeing's troubled Starliner has stranded NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore on the ISS for 75 days, costing billions and generating months of bad press. NASA is considering risky options to return the astronauts by mid- to late August, fearing Starliner could spin out of control and crash into the orbital lab.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore could vaporize to death if they return on the faulty Starliner, and NASA is debating whether to continue Starliner's return or launch a SpaceX rescue mission. Mental health experiments on the ISS help keep astronauts happy off Earth, while Russian pensioners falsely urge Putin to rescue the astronauts, ignoring viable return options.

SpaceX astronauts are preparing for a journey into the radiation belt with novel spacewalks and protective suits.