STUCK-IN-SPACE ASTRONAUTS REFLECT ON BEING LEFT BEHIND AND ADJUSTING TO LIFE IN ORBIT

Stuck-in-space astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said it's been tough dealing with their Boeing ride leaving without them and the prospect of spending several extra months in orbit.

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It was their first public comments since last week's return of the Boeing Starliner capsule that took them to the International Space Station in June. They remained behind after NASA determined the problem-plagued capsule posed too much risk for them to ride back in. Their eight-day mission is now expected to last more than eight months.

"It was trying at times. There were some tough times all the way through," Wilmore said from 260 miles (420 kilometers) up. As spacecraft pilots, "you don't want to see it go off without you, but that's where we wound up."

While they never expected to be up there nearly a year, as Starliner's first test pilots, they knew there could be problems that might delay their return. "That's how things go in this business," Williams said.