Continuing problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft mean it remains unclear how NASA will bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home from their long-duration stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Despite the uncertainty, the pair are doing the best they can in their temporary home in low-Earth orbit.
BBC News Reports Originally scheduled to stay on the ISS for eight days, Williams and Wilmore have now been in space for more than two months. The extended stay was due to concerns about their safety during their return aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. During a recent NASA media briefing, senior officials revealed that Starliner’s propulsion system has been experiencing leaks and thruster failures, despite extensive testing on the ground.
The physics behind the thruster issues remain unclear, and although on-orbit tests have shown improved performance, engineers still don’t have full confidence in the system. As a result, the chances of Williams and Wilmore returning to Earth aboard Starliner have been reduced. One possible scenario is to have the spacecraft return autonomously, without astronauts on board.
“Given the events of the last week or two, the chances of the uncrewed Starliner returning have increased slightly,” NASA’s space operations manager Ken Bowersox acknowledged.
If Starliner returns empty, NASA plans to send two astronauts to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. Williams and Wilmore will then remain on the ISS until February 2025, when they will return with the Crew Dragon team. This will bring the ISS’s crew to the usual seven people (four astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts).
Despite the challenges, the astronauts are in high spirits. “The astronauts are very happy in space,” says Ken Kremer, founder and editor of the space news website SpaceUpClose. The ISS is well-equipped, has plenty of water and food, and recent resupply missions have ensured the crew has more than enough resources.
Both Williams and Wilmore are experienced astronauts who are making the most of their extended stay by helping with day-to-day tasks, repairing spacesuits, running experiments, and even participating in Olympic training. Their expertise is invaluable in testing Starliner and maintaining the space station’s systems.
Such a situation is not unprecedented in the history of space exploration: In 1991, Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev found himself in a similar predicament when the USSR collapsed while he was on a mission to the Mir space station. Despite the political turmoil on Earth, Krikalev and his colleague, Alexander Volkov, continued to receive supplies and support from Mission Control.
As space missions become more complex and ambitious, like the Artemis II mission piloted by Victor Glover, we must remember that space travel is still not easy. Glover emphasizes that “it would be an insult to our profession and to society if what we do seemed routine.”
Learn more Click here for BBC News.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
