Stranded in Space: Rescue Missions in History

Space: The vast void beyond earth, where there is no gravity, no air and survival is counted in seconds.

It is the most extreme of all conditions known to man, yet despite that, more than 600 humans have left Earth to explore that which lies beyond. Those missions have been largely without error, except four: this is their stories.

Houston We’ve had a problem:

NASA’s Apollo program was set to make America’s third lunar landing in 1970. Two days after launch, the crew of Apollo 13 had an oxygen tank explode, sparking an often-misquoted statement by astronaut Jack Swigert when he radioed to NASA’s mission control in Houston, Texas, “Ok, Houston we’ve had a problem here.”

The call was met immediately by mission control “come again” and a repeat from Swigert, “Houston We’ve Had a Problem.” The statement misquoted as “Houston we have a problem,” became among the most recognized lines in the English lexicon; and an otherwise uninterested society became captivated by the story. The three network television broadcasters and radio stations around the nation and world inundated everyone with the story of NASA’s attempt to rescue the three American’s onboard.

On April 17, 1970 Jim Lovell, Ken Mattingly and Fred Haise safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. A 1995 Ron Howard film “Apollo 13” featuring Ed Harris, Gary Sinise Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Baxton launched the mission’s challenges back into mainstream conversations.

The Soviet union falls –
Leaving Cosmonaut stranded

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down, a signifying moment in the collapse of the USSR. The Soviet Union continued to spiral until its fall in December of 1991. Earlier that year, on May 18, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev had flown to the Mir space station for a five-month mission. The turmoil of union’s collapse combined with economic and political unrest led to logistical problems within the Russian space program. As a result, Krikalev spent 311 days aboard the spacecraft. A relief crew arrived at Mir in March of 1992 and Krikalev returned to Earth on the 25th of that month in a Soviet Soyuz capsule.

nasa scales back,
American stuck on ISS

NASA experienced a number of setbacks in its Space Shuttle program through the 1980s and 1990s. Increasing costs, political pressure and other factors lead to NASA scaling back, then eliminating its manned space-fight program. The July 21, 2011 launch of the Atlantis, STS-135 marked the last shuttle mission. NASA then relied on its partnerships with other nations for sending astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

On September 21, 2022, astronaut Frank Rubio departed for the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz space craft for a planned six-month mission. Capsules remain docked to the ISS for emergency returns, however in December of 2022 the capsule’s coolant system was damaged in what was deemed to likely be a micrometeoroid strike. The result made it unsafe for a return to earth.

Rubio and two cosmonauts stayed on the space station for 371 days until returning September 2023. The extended stay garnered Rubio the record for longest time spent in space by an American. The trio were not without emergency options to return, as American-based private company SpaceX had docked one of its Dragon capsules to the station. This would not be the last time SpaceX was called on.

eight-day test flight goes wrong

Suni Williams started celebrating the moment she returned to the Interational Space Station in June 2024. She was joined by fellow astronaut Butch Wimore on a test mission for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The pair were set to spend only a few days aboard the station then return to earth completing a eight-day mission. That, however, changed quickly when Starliner suffered not only helium leaks but also thruster malfunctions.

NASA and Boeing deemed the craft unsafe for the crew’s return to Earth resulting in Williams and Wilmore joining the ISS crew until a relief/rescue mission could be sent. The pair made the most of their time, conducting numerous experiments during their stay on the station. Starliner returned to earth in September of that year without a crew.

Speculation as to why a relief capsule was not sent to bring the astronauts home swirled. The New Post, in a March 11, article, placed partial blame on then President Joe Biden’s administration citing an unwillingness to take on the risk of failure amid his reelection campaign. The article notes, after Biden dropped from the race, a go-ahead was still not given.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, publicly offered to send a SpaceX Dragon rocket to bring them home just prior to the US presidential election. According to a couple reports, including Fortune magazine, the offer was never sent to the crew.

SpaceX was later tasked, in early 2025, to follow through with the offer. After the go-ahead, Musk stated, “we could have brought them home months earlier.”

The Dragon 9 crew boarded SpaceX’s Dragon 10 capsule shortly after 10 p.m. (eastern) on March 17 to begin preparations for their return flight home. Shortly after 1 am eastern time, the crew detached from the International Space Station and began the day-long journey back to earth. They are expected to arrive late Tuesday afternoon with a splash down in the Gulf of America near Florida’s west coast.

Other missions with extended stays

Shorter extensions have occurred multiple times on the ISS due to weather delays, spacecraft issues, or scheduling adjustments. For example, in 2015, a Progress cargo ship failure delayed crew rotations, extending some stays by about a month. Similarly, SpaceX Crew Dragon and Soyuz launches have occasionally been postponed, adding weeks to missions. These are routine operational hiccups rather than strandings, as the ISS always maintains at least one functional return vehicle.

Backup plans in place

While there have been at least four high-profile cases where astronauts or cosmonauts stayed in space much longer than planned due to unforeseen issues, the latter three were never truly stranded without an emergency return option. Space agencies prioritize safety and adaptability, making such events rare and manageable. The Apollo 13 mission was the only one without an emergency backup. (All photos and stats courtesy of NASA)