When NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams left Earth, they expected just over a week-long journey.
Now, due to issues with their Boeing Starliner, they are expected to return in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Fortunately, along with advanced training, these skilled astronauts have also received communication training to make life in such a small space easier!
Three lessons couples on Earth can learn from the stranded NASA astronauts (who are not a couple!)
The longer the duration of a trip and the more challenging the circumstances, the bigger the cracks that can appear.
Don’t struggle over the leadership position If these astronauts struggle over who is the “best”, neither wins.
Regardless of who is a natural peacemaker on this trip (I’m guessing Sunita, but I do not know!)
Ultimately, the key to complete success for this NASA mission is clear communication and shared respect.
But for Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, this space flight is business as usual — with very little glitz and glamour.
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NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams had planned for their trip to last slightly longer than a week when they departed Earth. They are now anticipated to return in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as a result of problems with their Boeing Starliner. Eight months is how long their trip will take, assuming everything goes as planned.
Fortunately, in addition to their extensive training, these accomplished astronauts have also undergone communication training to facilitate life in such a small space! Although the specific lessons they learn in this training are unknown, here are some tips that can support these two on their long-term journey — and they might also be able to assist individuals in marriages!
The three things that the stranded NASA astronauts—who are not a couple—can teach couples on Earth.
1. To bring about peace, practice self-soothe and project calm.
A high-risk endeavor such as a space flight can cause unexpected multi-month separation from family, making the old adage for partners, “never go to sleep mad,” all the more poignant!
Most non-fighting couples aren’t skilled mediators. Instead, they suppress or deny their rage and, despite their best efforts, aren’t always loving. The larger the cracks that can form, the longer the trip and the more difficult the conditions. As a result, in addition to projecting calm and self-soothing when you are angry or experiencing other strong emotions, you also need to calmly handle any problems to prevent them from becoming larger ones.
The aviation drama brought on by Boeing’s helium leaks is an additional chance for self-soothe, composure, and, for many of us, prayer, aside from their human experience. Even though you don’t have a helium leak, you undoubtedly face stress in your life, which presents an opportunity to work on maintaining inner peace.
Along the way, Butch’s wife Deanna and Sunita’s husband Michael have to appear to be completely confident in everything, including the mission’s success, their ability to handle being apart from their spouse for an extended period of time, and the startling delay in their return home. They can support their partners’ goals in this way.
2. To maintain your composure, try practicing “brain-breathing” techniques.
Every marriage (or aeronautical relationship) needs to reduce tension, and the quickest and simplest method to become aware of your emotional state is to practice brain-breathing.
Inhale deeply through both nostrils.
Breathe in slowly and count to three.
Your mouth should form the letter “O” as you whoosh out your breath.
This works in space as well as other locations. Like the Guatemalan skeet shooter who did this right before taking home the gold in the 2024 Olympics, many athletes use similar breathing techniques.
Sometimes, no matter who we are on Earth, Butch, Sunita, or anyone else, we have to appear on video calls and in conversations with our children, partners, or coworkers as if nothing was wrong, even when we’re in deep space. Everyone at home is impacted by your ability to project calmness and happiness. Methods of breathing can be very beneficial.
Bella1105, courtesy of Shutterstock.
3. Avoid squabbling over who is in charge.
Should these astronauts compete to determine who is the “best,” neither one emerges victorious. Since Butch was a letterman and the team captain of his Tennessee Technological University football team, we can assume that authority and respect are important to him. Given that Sunita is the famous Indian scientist’s daughter, one would think that she would be used to treating her father with dignity. Whoever it is on this trip—I’m assuming Sunita, but I’m not sure—who has the natural ability to mediate conflicts will have their hands full.
Comparably, arguments over who is superior or in charge of our relationships will inevitably result in needless strife. When it suits us, we can take the lead in our relationships and respect our partners’ leadership qualities.
In the end, mutual respect and open communication will be essential to this NASA mission’s success.
This is a unique chance to witness two astronauts—a male and a female—being compelled to spend months at a time in close proximity with no warning. Though for Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, this space flight is just business as usual — with very little glitz and glamour. You can be sure that Hollywood is already writing the scripts.
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