logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
30m 59s

Stuck in space

The Observer
About this episode

In June 2024, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore went into space. It was expected to last just over a week. Instead, by the time they'll return, it'll have been more than eight months.


This is the story of how two great American institutions - Boeing and NASA - failed them.


To find out more about Tortoise:


Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
What next for Reform and Nigel Farage?
Nigel Farage has been re-elected as MP for Clacton. But that also means a Parliamentary investigation into Farage resumes. So what's next for Reform and their leader? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 
22m 32s
Aug 11
The Mandelson files
When Peter Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the United States over his links with Jeffrey Epstein people wondered how he ever got appointed in the first place.Eventually Keir Starmer’s government was forced to publish more than a thousand pages of emails, messages a ... Show More
28m 28s
Aug 7
Is mountaineering getting more dangerous?
On Thursday 30th July, an avalanche hit the world's twelfth highest mountain. Ten experienced climbers were caught by it, among them one of the world's most famous and experienced mountaineers Nirmal Purja. Is the world of mountaineering becoming more dangerous? Hosted on Acast. ... Show More
29m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Why were NASA astronauts ‘stuck’ in space?
Imagine going on a work or school trip for eight days, but ending up away from home for nine months. Now, imagine that journey was to space. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s spacecraft launched in June last year from Cape Canaveral in Florida. They were taking pa ... Show More
13m 47s
Aug 2024
One Thing: Two Astronauts. One Space Station. No End in Sight.
NASA insists they aren’t stranded. But eight weeks after their original return date, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are still on board the International Space Station. In this episode, we explain why Boeing’s Starliner – and private space travel writ large - is under ... Show More
19m 39s
Aug 2024
A sticky situation
The US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are currently stranded on the ISS. They arrived on the Boeing Starliner, which was meant to bring them home after eight days. Unfortunately, it has run into tech issues, meaning that the astronauts may be stuck up there for up to ... Show More
49m 30s
Aug 2024
How are NASA’s stranded astronauts coping?
The two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station won’t return to Earth until next year. Retired Canadian astronaut Dave Williams tells us how the astronauts may be coping with their extended stay in space — and what it all means for the burgeoning field of space tou ... Show More
18m 57s
Aug 2024
Stuck in space
Bloomberg’s Loren Grush explains how two astronauts got stuck on the International Space Station and astronaut Cady Coleman tells us why she is jealous of them. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Matt Collette, engineered by Patri ... Show More
25m 41s
Aug 2024
Lost in Space
Imagine taking a once in a lifetime trip to outer space only to find out you have no idea when you'll be heading home. Sounds pretty crazy, but it's happening right now. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell joins Amy & T.J. to break down what's going on with the group of astronauts w ... Show More
36m 33s
Mar 2024
Back Down to Earth
In 2003, seven astronauts are killed instantly when their space shuttle, Columbia, disintegrates on re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. The NASA shuttle program is grounded with immediate effect. On the International Space Station, three men - two astronauts and a cosmonaut - h ... Show More
50m 28s
Mar 2025
CBS Evening News, 03/18/25
Long-delayed Starliner astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams and two space station crewmates returned to Earth on Tuesday to finally close out a repeatedly extended nine-and-a-half-month space odyssey. Eye on America: A Texas midwife and her associate are facing th ... Show More
20m 23s