the Starliner capsule crew They were stranded in space and had no scheduled return to Earth. Boeing confirmed that the astronauts They will spend the entire summer aboard the International Space Station.The mission, which was initially scheduled to last eight days, was extended due to technical problems and now includes a flight in September.
NASA View Starliner mission updateWhile there is no specific date for the astronauts’ return, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Significant progress has been made in the bug fixing process.Stitch explained the changes made to the maneuvering thrusters, one of the three failures of the space capsule.
On the other hand, Mark Nabi, Vice President and Director of Commercial Crew Program at Boeing, commented on this. Various tests were conducted to determine helium leakage.Nabi added that they decided they could conduct further analysis while the capsule was docked with the International Space Station.
Although Boeing considers the mission accomplished and is aware of the operation, the question is what will happen to the astronauts. NASA said that The Starliner could stay in space for another 90 days.The space agency said the goal is to bring them back, but first they must work out all the bugs.
“I’m sorry we didn’t say we were going to stay there until we got everything we wanted to,” Stitch said. The Boeing executive added that They knew the mission would be longer than they thought.But they did not inform him.
What happens if Boeing doesn’t fix Starliner?
One of the main questions they have asked NASA and Boeing is about contingency planning. While engineers are making progress with analysis and simulation, there is a chance they won’t be able to solve Starliner’s problems. Given this, NASA notes that They have a backup plan to bring the astronauts back..
“One of the beauties of this program is that we have two different systems,” said Mark Nabi. “The backup plan is to use the second system. I’d rather not get into the details until we get to that point, but the beauty of having Dragon and Starliner is that we can use them as a backup.”
Another detail is Boeing is working against the clock.Since Starliner’s presence on the ISS will impact the mission’s timeline, NASA said it will give Boeing engineers time to conduct tests. The bugs will likely be fixed by the day the ISS crew changes hands.
In front of Boeing’s eyes, Astronauts are not trapped in space.In an emergency, Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams could return to Earth without a hitch. The 90-day extension doesn’t mean that’s how long it will take to repair the capsule, as Boeing could get it sooner.
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