Two astronauts are still stuck in space with no end in sight to their nearly two-month ordeal as engineers try to repair their malfunctioning Boeing spacecraft.
Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have extended their stay on the International Space Station indefinitely, after hoping to visit the space laboratory for eight days.
On Friday, July 26, they reached day 51.
Failures in the thrusters and helium connections of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule have prompted NASA and Boeing to keep the capsules in orbit longer, amid fears that a return trip with the spacecraft could end in disaster.
NASA confirmed earlier this week that they could not yet announce a date for the return.
During a briefing, officials said the Starliner was likely safe enough to fly the two home, but that decision would not be made until an evaluation.
The space agency and Boeing have repeatedly said the astronauts are not stranded and that they can fly home on the Starliner in the event of an emergency.
But that has raised questions about why Williams and Wilmore can’t just fly home now, if the Boeing plane is really safe. The work being done on the Starliner is also being done remotely – no engineer is being sent into space to work on the plane itself.
Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have extended their stay on the International Space Station indefinitely, after hoping to visit the space laboratory for 8 days
The Starliner is pictured docked at the International Space Station. The two astronauts who flew the malfunctioning craft into space will remain stuck above Earth indefinitely as NASA and Boeing investigate a series of malfunctions
Thrust failures and helium compounds on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, seen here aboard an Atlas V rocket, have prompted NASA and Boeing to keep it in orbit longer
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, admits that alternative options are being considered, including SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
The capsule was launched from Florida on June 5 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. A few hours later, NASA reported that the capsule had leaked twice.
While the capsule was docking with the space station on June 6, another leak was found, and a few days later, on June 10, another leak was discovered.
In addition to the helium leaks, five thrusters temporarily failed during the flight, but four of them came back online and the fifth was shut down.
If the spacecraft were to malfunction again on its way back to Earth, the consequences for the occupants could be disastrous.
The Starliner debacle is a new source of embarrassment for Boeing, whose commercial aviation division has been plagued by scandals and plane crashes for years.
Earlier this year, a 737 MAX plane blew open while flying over Portland. Two other MAX jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing more than 300 people.
Boeing has been accused of putting profits over safety and has vowed to improve the quality of its products after a series of catastrophic failures.
Despite their unfortunate position, Williams and Wilmore must conduct scientific experiments and maintain the station, including cleaning the toilets.
During a briefing with reports, Williams said: ‘We have been extremely busy up here and are fully integrated into the crew.
“It feels like coming home. It feels good to be floating around. It feels good to be in space and working with the ISS team. So yeah, it’s great to be here.”
Since their arrival, they have been making echoes of their veins to collect data on the effects of space on the human body.
They were also tasked with performing shipboard chores such as replacing a urine pump and taking inventory of food supplies on board.
Wilmore, 61, was tasked with maintaining two freezers used to store research samples and replenishing the coolant in one of the station’s water pumps.
Wilmore, left, and Williams pose for a portrait in the vestibule between the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner
The capsule was launched from Florida on June 5 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlast V rocket. A few hours later, NASA reported that the capsule had sprung a leak twice.
Before the flight, Williams said she was aware that the nature of the test flight meant she and Wilmore might have to improvise.
She said, “We expect everything to go according to plan. But if it doesn’t, we’ll take some time to analyze it and talk about it, and then it will be fine.”
“So our confidence in the mission is high. I’m not complaining that we’re here for a few more weeks.”
According to the Washington Post, panic broke out last month when a satellite broke apart at an altitude near the space station, posing a hazard.
The two jumped into the Starliner capsule and prepared to undock in case debris from the satellite landed on the space station and an evacuation occurred.
The debris passed the station without incident and the crew resumed work.
Scott Kelly, a former NASA astronaut who spent nearly a year on the space station, said two others on board would use up their food supplies, making the air supply work harder.
Veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Commander Butch Wilmore (right) before their departure on June 5
Starliner lifts off at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, April 16, 2024
Kelly told the Post: “They’re going to put a little bit of pressure on that. On the other hand, there are four extra hands to do more work.
‘And there always seems to be a lot of work up there. So that’s positive.
“It’s space travel, it’s risky, it’s dangerous. Anything can go wrong. But you have to trust the hardware and the people, and I have confidence that they’re going to be OK.”
Boeing and NASA officials noticed the problems with the Starliner before the plane took off with the astronauts earlier this month.
According to CNN, the company has faced years of delays, setbacks and extra costs that have cost Boeing more than $1 billion.
Starliner was scheduled to launch on May 6, but teams discovered a helium leak in a valve and canceled the mission.
Engineers suspected the problem was caused by a faulty rubber seal the size of a shirt button. They said that even if the leak got worse, it could be fixed during the flight. The next launch was scheduled for June 1.
During the flight, Wilmore and Williams (pictured) were informed that the shuttle had developed two new helium leaks
The crew has enough food rations to last at least four months on the International Space Station
NASA astronauts Suni Williams (bottom left) and Butch Wilmore (bottom right) are seen here after arriving safely aboard the International Space Station.
However, Starliner was again plagued by misfortune when the capsule was automatically stopped by a computer-controlled system just minutes before launch.
The delay was caused by computers on the Atlas V rocket’s launch pad coordinating the final moments before launch, but the Starliner capsule appeared healthy, officials said.
Engineers conducted tests on a backup booster rocket in the New Mexico desert last week and will take it apart to determine what went wrong before the Starliner docked.
The team will test the capsule’s thrusters this weekend while it is docked with the space station to collect more data, Boeing’s Mark Nappi said.
Each of the 28 thrusters fits in a hand and weighs 2 pounds (1 kilogram).
The capsule is also equipped with larger engines to allow it to jump out of orbit at the end of the flight. This is all part of a segment that is discarded before landing, meaning there is nothing to study for future flights.
After the space shuttles were retired, NASA hired private companies to fly astronauts to the space station. Boeing and SpaceX were paid billions of dollars for this.