NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were initially set for an eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner, will now remain for an extended stay of over eight months. The Starliner capsule returned to Earth without them due to technical issues, and they will instead return via SpaceX in February 2025. Both astronauts have impressive backgrounds; Wilmore, a Navy test pilot with extensive flight experience, and Williams, the first female test pilot for a new spacecraft. This delay highlights ongoing challenges in Boeing's space program, drawing comparisons to issues in their commercial airplane division. Discussions around futuristic solutions like a space elevator are gaining traction, though current rescues rely on traditional spacecraft.