Astronaut Butch Wilmore Details Moment He Thought He Was Going to Die

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Butch Wilmore will never forget this intense takeoff. 

More than a year after returning to Earth following a 286-day space mission where they were stranded, the retired NASA astronaut described the serious thoughts he had when their Boeing spacecraft malfunctioned.

In his new memoir, Stuck in Space: An Astronauts Hope Through the Unexpected, Wilmore described a sudden and overwhelming feeling of dread, telling People it was ‘simply unbelievable.’ He explained that in those high-pressure situations, fear works against you, not with you.

As he promised, the 63-year-old former NASA employee—who spent 25 years with the space agency—was concerned for his and Sunita’s well-being when they arrived at the International Space Station in June 2024. Their planned week-long trip turned into a nine-month stay because of problems with their spacecraft.

Butch mentioned that being away from family so often made him think of his wife, Deanne Wilmore, and their daughters, Daryn and Logan.

Butch was very concerned about how the damage would affect the shuttle’s ability to return to Earth. Before reaching the International Space Station, he confessed he worried that if they managed to dock, they might not be able to use the spacecraft to get home.

Butch remained deeply troubled, and his anxiety showed up in disturbing ways, such as repeatedly recalling the tragic 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, which resulted in the loss of all seven astronauts.

As a pilot myself, I completely understand that feeling. I often think about a time I recovered a partially burned helmet and boot from an East Texas field – pieces that had fallen from thousands of feet in the air. It’s natural to have a flood of thoughts in those moments, to replay everything. But honestly, you learn to push those thoughts aside, to compartmentalize them. You have to. Your focus needs to be entirely on the task at hand, on what’s happening right now. It’s a survival mechanism, really.

Butch and Sunita, both 60, focused on completing their nine-month mission and staying healthy before returning to Earth last March. Even though the situation was challenging, Butch remained positive and didn’t complain about the delay.

Butch told the New York Times that the work was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. He acknowledged that human spaceflight is a difficult undertaking, and that unexpected problems sometimes arise, as they had recently experienced.

He actually admitted that these unexpected events were among his favorite things about being an astronaut, sharing this when he announced his retirement five months later.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the wonders of the world and always looked up with a deep curiosity,” the former test pilot wrote recently. “That curiosity led me to become a pilot, and eventually an astronaut. Seeing the vastness of space only reinforced my sense of awe and the beauty of creation in a way that’s hard to put into words.”

You know, even when I’m looking down from space, I’m constantly reminded of how precious and beautiful our planet is. It’s amazing to realize that the same patterns and complexity you see in the universe are also present in everything around us, right here on Earth. It really puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate the interconnectedness of life.

Keep reading for a full look at Butch and Sunita’s nine-month venture in space… 

On June 5, 2024, astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore blasted off to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They plan to spend about eight days there. Soon after liftoff, the astronauts noticed a small, contained leak in the spacecraft’s plumbing system, according to the Associated Press.

Although the initial leak didn’t worsen during their trip to the International Space Station, four new leaks developed, and five of the spacecraft’s engines—used to speed up and change direction—stopped working. They successfully connected to the ISS, but knew their mission would probably take longer than eight days.

Two months after a flawed initial launch, NASA revealed that two astronauts were stranded in space. The space agency was still evaluating if the Starliner spacecraft was safe to fly again, while Boeing insisted it should be. In a statement to TopMob News, Boeing said they would adapt the Starliner for an unmanned return flight if NASA decided to alter the mission.

Scott Hubbard, a former NASA official, reassured the public about the situation with astronauts Wilmore and Williams, explaining to the Associated Press that they weren’t in serious danger. He clarified they were just “kind of stuck,” and highlighted that they had ample supplies and tasks to keep them occupied, noting both astronauts had previous spaceflight experience.

Once NASA announced that astronauts Williams and Wilmore would come back to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft in either February or March – instead of trying to repair the Starliner – their families shared their reactions.

In August, Deanna Wilmore, wife of Wilmore, shared with WVLT how her family was coping with a difficult situation, saying they were just trying to stay flexible and prepared for anything.

Naomi Williams’ husband, Michael, said he believes she’d enjoy a longer time in space, telling The Wall Street Journal that space is where she’s happiest.

As they approached their six-month mark in space, astronauts Williams and Wilmore described how they planned to celebrate Thanksgiving while aboard the International Space Station.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli told NBC Nightly News on November 27th that the crew on the International Space Station has Thanksgiving-themed food stored, including smoked turkey, cranberry sauce, apple cobbler, green beans with mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.

Williams also confirmed that she and Wilmore were doing well despite being in space for a long time.

She reassured people not to worry, saying they were doing well. “We’re staying in shape, eating healthy, and actually having a great time up here,” she explained.

Following six months aboard the International Space Station, NASA announced that the astronauts’ mission would be extended. Originally scheduled to return in February, their homecoming was delayed due to issues with the SpaceX mission designed to bring them back to Earth, pushing their return to March or April.

In February, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that astronauts Williams and Wilmore were “virtually abandoned” in space during what was initially planned as an eight-day mission that ended up lasting eight months. The astronauts later publicly disagreed with the president’s statement.

In a February 13th interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Wilmore emphasized that they don’t feel forgotten, helpless, or isolated. They stated they are well-prepared and fully dedicated to their work.

Williams interjected during the interview that the pair were “doing pretty darn good, actually.”

We have everything we need up here – food, clothes, and a fantastic team. Our stay was a bit longer than planned, but both my colleague and I are trained to live and work on the International Space Station, and I think we really made the best of the situation.

In the interview, Wilmore and Williams stated they will return to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which is scheduled to launch on March 12th.

According to Wilmore, the next crew will arrive, connect with the station, and take over operations. They’ll work with the current crew for about a week, and he and his team expect to return to Earth around March 19th.

With her father scheduled to come home in just a few days, Daryn Wilmore shared her thoughts on his time in space and the reasons his return to Earth had been postponed.

She described the situation as mentally draining in a March 6 interview with the Daily Mail. She explained that ongoing problems and carelessness have caused repeated delays, with one issue constantly following another.

Daryn said her father was a little disappointed, but generally doing well on the International Space Station, and noted that he’s a very strong person.

Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth safely on March 18th after spending nine months in space. They splashed down off the Florida coast with fellow astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. As is typical after long spaceflights, the crew was carried from the capsule on stretchers because they had difficulty walking immediately upon returning to gravity.

According to former NASA senior scientist John DeWitt, many astronauts don’t want to be carried out on stretchers after a flight, but medical staff insist on it, according to Live Science.

Astronaut Wilmore’s daughter, Daryn, shared what the first few days back on Earth might look like for the returning crew.

She explained in a TikTok video on March 18th that he’ll be undergoing medical tests for the next few days. This is because, as part of the ongoing study of human space travel, astronauts require continued monitoring. He’s also adjusting back to life on Earth and the feeling of gravity after being in space for the last nine months, which was a very different experience.

When the astronauts returned to Earth after spending an extra eight months in space, NASA clarified whether they would receive overtime pay.

NASA confirmed to People magazine that astronauts on the International Space Station earn a standard 40-hour workweek salary. However, they don’t receive extra pay for overtime, holidays, or weekends.

An astronaut’s typical 40-hour work week salary ranges from $84,365 to $152,258, based on the federal government’s GS-11 to GS-14 pay grades.

After a long wait, Daryn was finally reunited with her father, Butch, and shared how she felt about his return home.

She’s baking her boyfriend’s favorite dessert, pecan pie, and has made a list of all his favorite things and activities they used to share. She hopes to do as many of them as possible while he’s visiting before she returns to college, or during his future visits.

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2026-03-17 21:53