On June 5, 2024 two astronauts named Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were sent up to space and supposed to be brought back in a couple of weeks, but their ship stopped working on June 14, 2024. The spaceship had two capsules that were leaking helium that caused the there ships thrusters to shut down, which caused them not to come back until 2025.
Colby Webb is a Biology and Physics teacher at Ridgeview High School. Webb says that, “It keeps me on my toes, keeps me fresh, I like things about big things and concepts and I like the challenge”. Webb says that he first heard about the two astronauts stuck in space by seeing it on a Youtube video. Webb talks about when they come back they’re gonna have a lot of physical problems after being up there for that long. “They would have to get used to the gravity, their muscles are gonna start to decay and their bones are gonna get thinner.” says Webb. This will cause them to have more physical than mental health problems when they come back, they have to take a lot of physical therapy treatment so they can get their muscle mass back. From being up there for more than a couple of weeks they will start seeing a lot of physical problems in a couple of months.
Daniella Garrett is a student at Ridgeview High School. Garrett first heard about the two astronauts from seeing it on TikTok, she questioned the NASA program’s ability to send people up there and bring people back. Garrett explains how if she was one of the astronauts stuck up there would think about her family, but she would be curious to explore up there. “I’ll miss my family, friends and especially food,” says Garrett. The other astronaut that she would want to be stuck up there till 2025 with is her friend Katrina Proano, “Because we have fun while we’re together and we can make light of the situation,” says Garrett. When she gets back in 2025 she explains how she might have to get used to the gravity again, and that she would be happy to come to food that isn’t astronaut.
Bianca Torres is a student at Ridgeview High School. Torres first heard about the two astronauts by seeing it on TikTok, she thought of it as very irresponsible of the NASA program. If she was one of the astronauts stuck up there she would miss her family, but would try to figure out a way to get back home sooner. “I would enjoy being able to float around and not having to worry about walking,” says Torres. The other astronaut she would want to be stuck up there with until 2025 is her little brother, “Because he’s my brother and he slightly makes things better in a way,” says Torres. When coming back in 2025 she thinks her profession will be different, “My job because I am not gonna go back working there,” says Torres. She also states how she would be happy to come back to food that isn’t astronaut food.
