Taylor Tinsley of OAN
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 3:41 PM
Two astronauts trapped on the International Space Station say they are confident Boeing’s Starliner will get them home.
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For Squadron Leader Barry Wilmore and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Sunita Williams, the eight-day mission turned into a month-long journey.
They’ve been staying on the International Space Station longer than expected due to several mechanical failures, including a helium leak and “control and functionality” issues with the thrusters.
Both astronauts told media from space on Wednesday they were confident the spacecraft would return safely.
“We’ve been practicing a lot, so we have a really good feeling that this spacecraft will get us back to Earth without any issues,” Williams said, “but like Butch said, we’re learning now how to optimize certain situations and making sure we know everything about it. If we just went back, we’d lose the SM and we wouldn’t have been able to get through all the testing and understand the spacecraft.”
Teams on the ground are also testing Starliner’s thrusters in preparation for future missions, under conditions similar to those the spacecraft endured during its journey.
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