Key ideas from Butch Wilmore

• Wilmore spent 464 consecutive days in space, with 286 days unplanned due to Starliner thruster failures during the first crewed test flight
• During Starliner's approach to ISS, five thrusters failed sequentially, leaving zero fault tolerance for six-degree-of-freedom spacecraft control
• "I can't believe we do this" and "don't get famous" - Wilmore's constant thoughts during 32 hours of spacewalks in $5-7 million spacesuits
• Boeing knew about helium leaks before launch; by mission end, seven of eight manifolds had developed leaks of some sort
• NASA initially classified the mission as a "high visibility close call" without consulting the pilot who controlled the spacecraft during failures
• "Our Lord is sovereign. He's in control" - Wilmore's faith-based approach to handling the unexpected 286-day space extension
• Crew had to build makeshift seats in SpaceX Dragon using foam and available materials as backup escape option from failing Starliner
• Mars missions face near-impossible physics: atmosphere only 1/100th Earth's density makes slowing massive human payloads extremely difficult