For most of us, the idea of being stranded in space probably seems like something out of a big-budget Hollywood movie. Right now, it’s a reality for NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore , and his family.
This week, an account that appears to belong to Wilmore’s daughter, Logan, posted a sweet video of and the teen and her dad on TikTok. It is captioned “not dead, just stuck in space,” with the additional, “im not worried at all, i just miss him.”
Audacy has reached out to the account. As of Saturday, the video had 1.5 million views and more than 2,000 comments.
“How have I not heard about this before??” asked one commenter.
Wilmore – a 61-year-old retired U.S. Navy captain who is the veteran of two spaceflights – and fellow NASA astronaut Suni Williams , 58, arrived at the International Space Station on June 6 in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They were supposed to be there for a week . However, issues related to the vessel’s propulsion system performance and small helium leaks in the spacecraft’s service module have kept them stuck at the space station for close to three months.
Wilmore and Williams were expected to hitch a ride home on a SpaceX Dragon flight launched by a Falcon 9 rocket late next month. This week, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the Falcon 9 following a failure of its booster rocket during a routine landing. An investigation into the incident has been requested by the FAA and it is unclear if it will postpone the mission. Falcon 9 was also grounded in July but returned to flight just 15 days later.
“Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the station and return home in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission,” said NASA in a Friday press release .
NASA also said that the Boeing Starliner spacecraft will undock, unmanned, from the space station around 6 p.m. Sept. 6 and then begin a journey to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. It is expected to arrive in the early morning hours of Sept. 7, weather conditions permitting.
At home in Tennessee, Wilmore’s family, including his wife Deanna and daughters Daryn and Logan, has been patiently waiting for his return.
“You know, we probably don’t expect him until February, February or March,” Deanna told WVLT in early August . She said that her husband said there were ongoing discussions about the Boeing Starliner’s safety at that time.
Fortunately, Wilmore’s family is able to Facetime him as he remains at the ISS.
“It is so cool he gives us a lot of Earth views, I especially like seeing the sunset,” said Daryn.
Still, it is tough to know that he’ll miss a lot of in-person family time until a flight can pick the astronauts up. That includes Christmas, his 30th wedding anniversary, much of Logan’s senior year of high school, Daryn’s college theater performances and more.
“You just sort of have to roll with it and expect the unexpected,” said Deanna.
Her daughters said their friends regularly ask how their dad is doing and when he will come home. Although it is frustrating to be so far apart, they said they are at peace knowing he loves his work and that he’s safe in space.
“He just takes it that the Lord is in control and since the Lord is in control, he’s content where he is,” his wife said.
Williams, the other astronaut stranded with Wilmore at the space station, is also a veteran of the Navy and two space missions. Her husband Michael and their dogs are also awaiting her safe return home.
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