NASA is facing a dilemma over the fate of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who may have to extend their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Originally, the plan was for the test pilots to return to Earth after a week, but now propulsion failures and helium leaks have called into question the ship’s safety for the return trip.
Given this situation, NASA is considering the possibility of Wilmore and Williams returning on the next SpaceX flight, which would extend their stay at the station until February next year. In the meantime, the Starliner could return without a crew, to avoid any additional risk to the astronauts.
Uncomfortable situation on board the International Space Station
As for the daily lives of astronauts, the situation aboard the International Space Station is, to say the least, uncomfortable. With nine astronauts in a space designed for six or seven, Wilmore and Williams have had to adjust to sleeping in less than ideal conditions: As stated time, Williams shares a small bedroom with another astronaut, while Wilmore sleeps in a sleeping bag in the Japanese space agency’s Kibo module.
In addition, their long stays forced the astronauts to increase their clothing rations, a problem that was only recently solved when a resupply vehicle delivered clean clothes. As for their duties, with major work on the Starliner already complete, they were assisting with science experiments and routine repairs, such as fixing a urine-processing pump.
Despite these challenges, the astronauts have maintained a positive attitude. “We’re having a great time here on the International Space Station,” Williams said in July, even as uncertainty about his return to Earth remains palpable.
NASA is evaluating the data and considering its options.
NASA officials said they are analyzing more data before making a decision late next week or early next week. These thrusters are essential to keeping the capsule in the right position when it comes time to descend from orbit.
“We have a fair amount of time before we return Starliner to Earth and we want to use that time wisely,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s chief of mission operations. “We don’t have enough knowledge and data to do any kind of simple black-and-white calculations,” added Ross DeLoach, NASA’s chief security officer.
DeLoach said the space agency wants to accommodate all opinions, unlike NASA’s shuttle tragedies, Challenger and Columbia, when dissenting opinions were ignored.
“That might mean, sometimes, that we don’t move very quickly because we get everything there, and I think you can see that here a little bit,” he said.
The switch to SpaceX will require moving two of the four astronauts slated for the next shuttle flight, currently scheduled for late September. Wilmore and Williams will fill the empty seats in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule once the half-year mission is over.
Another complication
The space station only has two parking spots for American capsules, so Boeing’s capsule will have to leave before SpaceX’s Dragon arrives to free up space.
Boeing insists that Starliner can safely return astronauts home, and earlier this month the company released a list of tests the boosters have conducted in space and on the ground since liftoff.
NASA wants to keep the current SpaceX crew there until replacements arrive, unless there is an emergency. Those four crew members were supposed to return to Earth this month, but an additional month was added to their mission because of the uncertainty over Starliner, keeping them there until the end of September. Most space stations last for six months, though some can last a full year.
“This is your job as an astronaut.”
Wilmore and Williams are retired Navy captains who spent months aboard the space station years ago. They joined the station immediately upon arrival, helping with experiments and repairs.
“They will do what we ask them to do. That’s their job as astronauts,” said NASA’s chief astronaut, Joe Haise. “This mission is a test flight, and as Butch and Sonny expressed before launch, they knew this mission might not be perfect.”
In an effort to provide competitive services and backup options, NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing to ferry astronauts to and from the space station after the shuttles were retired in 2011.
SpaceX’s first astronaut flight was in 2020. Boeing had so many problems with its initial uncrewed test flight in 2019 that it was ordered to repeat it. More problems arose, costing the company more than $1 billion to fix before it finally sent astronauts.
Few (AFP, time)
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