What do you pack for an eight-day round trip into the heart of space? A few changes of clothes, perhaps, and a lengthy book. A few of your favourite snacks. A toothbrush and a travel-sized bottle of shampoo.

What if that eight-day trip turns into an eight-month ordeal in orbit? Astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been stuck aboard the International Space StationA joint project between the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency. (ISS) for more than five months, might be wishing she packed a bigger suitcase.

Williams, who set off into the heavens on 5 June, was part of the company Boeing's first attempt at a crewed flight into space after being awarded a multi-billion dollar contract by NasaThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme. to develop commercial space flights for astronauts.¹

But the Boeing Starliner that she was travelling on experienced multiple problems upon departure, including helium leaks and thrusterPart of a space rocket's propulsion system. breakdowns.

As it is not safe for her and her companion, Barry Wilmore, to return on the Starliner, she will have to wait until February 2025 to be picked up by a SpaceX Dragon ship and delivered safely back to Earth.

Life in space is far from luxurious. Williams and Wilmore have been living on freeze-dried pizza, shrimp cocktail, meat and breakfast cereals with powdered milk. Meanwhile, all the water onboard the ISS is recycled from their own sweat and urine as a way of achieving self-sufficiency.

The International Space Station hurtles at a constant 17,500 miles per hour, orbiting the planet every 93 minutes. But the pace of life is no faster than it is here, and mitigating the effects of boredom is a challenge. Williams says she has been keeping herself busy by writing a diary.

The effects of zero gravity can cause havoc for the body, and each person in the space station must do two hours of exercise per day to prevent muscle wastage. Imagine running for hours while tethered to the treadmill to prevent you from floating away.

In a recent press conference, Williams shared her nostalgiaThe feelings of happiness and slight sadness you get when remembering the past. for her life on Earth, saying "I miss taking my dogs for early morning walks, hearing the birds, and experiencing the start of the day."

But it is not all bad. Imagine the wonder: the space station sees one sunrise and one sunset every 90 minutes, or 16 times per day. And there is plenty of time for astronauts to pursue their hobbies, including playing instruments and doing crafts, all while gazing down at our beautiful planet.²

Williams is a trailblazerThe first to do something. who previously set records for the most spacewalks by a woman and the longest spacewalk time for a woman (an astonishing 50 hours and 40 minutes). In 2007, she became the first person to run a marathon in orbit.

She is close to her family, and to mark her heritage - Slovenian, Indian and American - she took three souvenirs to space: a Carniolan sausage, a Slovenian flag and a samosa.³

So far, Williams has celebrated her birthday, Thanksgiving and Diwali from space. She undoubtedly misses home life: the variety of smells and foods, the feeling of being grounded.⁴

But, like other astronauts, she was chosen for the mission for her positivity: her ability to stay calm and optimistic under pressure. For many, her courage deserves universal admiration.

Is space exploration worth it?

Yes: Sunita Williams is the perfect evidence that space travel is worth it! She has given decades of her life to space travel and put her body through extreme conditions to further our research.

No: We have so many problems to fix on our own planet, which could easily become uninhabitable for us within a few decades. Investing billions of pounds in commercial space travel is not only unwise, it is offensive.

Or... A future in space is just not realistic. The resources it consumes are huge, and so far all we have to show for it is an international space station the size of a six-bedroom house. We should not entertain impossible hopes.