What To Know
- “They could come back with Space X, but that would be a total slap in the face, a disaster”The two astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were initially only supposed to spend a little over a week in the flying laboratory.
- First astronauts carried by Starliner spacecraft arrive at ISSIn addition to the thrusters, another anomaly affects Starliner, a new vehicle ordered 10 years ago by NASA to serve as a space taxi carrying its astronauts to the ISS.
- This mission, led by Boeing years behind the initial schedule, is Starliner’s first with a crew, and is necessary for the capsule to obtain NASA certification and then begin its regular operations.
Ground tests of similar thrusters will be conducted to recreate the space environment and better understand the cause of the problem. The tests are expected to last about two weeks, and a return date will only be set afterward. “Butch and Suni are not stuck in space,” NASA official Steve Stich said at an unusually tense news conference. There is “no rush” for the vehicle to return, he added.Boeing’s troubles leave astronauts stranded on the ISS: “They could come back with Space X, but that would be a total slap in the face, a disaster”The two astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were initially only supposed to spend a little over a week in the flying laboratory. Which led the American press to wonder if the astronauts were currently without a means of return. They are “not stuck in the ISS, the crew is not in danger”, also hammered home Mark Nappi, senior manager at Boeing. “It’s quite painful to read the things that are circulating. We’ve had a very good test flight so far, and it’s perceived rather negatively”, he complained. “We can bring Starliner back at any time”, he insisted. But “we don’t understand (the problems encountered, editor’s note) well enough to fix them permanently, so the only way to do it is to take the time” and “collect more data”.First astronauts carried by Starliner spacecraft arrive at ISSIn addition to the thrusters, another anomaly affects Starliner, a new vehicle ordered 10 years ago by NASA to serve as a space taxi carrying its astronauts to the ISS. NASA and Boeing are still looking for the cause of helium leaks detected in flight. Helium is not flammable but is used for the propulsion system. However, the spacecraft still has enough helium to return, according to the space agency. This mission, led by Boeing years behind the initial schedule, is Starliner’s first with a crew, and is necessary for the capsule to obtain NASA certification and then begin its regular operations. In the meantime, NASA astronauts have already been joining the ISS thanks to SpaceX ships for four years.
