It will be the third time on the ISS for Ms Williams, a retired Navy helicopter pilot, while Mr Wilmore is a former fighter jet pilot who has been to space twice before.
„We’ve been very busy here and integrated with the team,” Ms. Williams told reporters during a recent conference call.
„It feels like coming back home. It’s great to be floating around. It’s great to be in space and to work with the International Space Station team here,” he said. „Yes, it’s great to be here.”
Boeing hoped that the maiden Starliner mission would pave the way for continued use of its capsule for trips back and forth to the station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon has been approved for NASA missions beginning in 2020.
While astronauts spend more time in space than originally planned, others have spent much longer periods away from Earth’s surface. In the mid-1990s, Russian Valery Polyakov spent 437 days in space aboard the Mir space station.
Last year, Frank Rubio returned from the ISS after 371 days, the longest time an American has spent in space.
Russian Oleg Kononenko, currently aboard the ISS, is the first person to spend more than 1,000 days in space during his career.
In their descriptions and interviews, the two Americans are upbeat about their situation. „I’m not complaining that we’re here for two extra weeks,” Ms Williams said last month.
Depending on the situation, the pair may be around for several more weeks.
„Oddany rozwiązywacz problemów. Przyjazny hipsterom praktykant bekonu. Miłośnik kawy. Nieuleczalny introwertyk. Student.