by CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – NASA is struggling with how and when to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, after repeatedly delaying their return aboard Boeing’s troubled capsule.
Will they take a chance and sail home soon in Boeing’s Starliner? Or wait and bring them back next year with SpaceX?
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been there since the beginning of June, their planned eight-day mission at the two-month mark and possibly beyond eight months.
Testing continues, with Boeing expressing confidence in its spacecraft but NASA divided. A decision is expected next week.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE BOEING STAR?
This is Boeing’s first time sending astronauts, after flying a pair of empty Starliners that suffered from software and other issues. Even before Wilmore and Williams blasted off on June 5, their drive-in plumbing sprung a leak. Boeing and NASA deemed the small helium leak stable and contained, and continued with the test flight. But as Starliner approached the space station the next day, four more leaks emerged. Five thrusters also failed.
The capsule docked safely, and four of the thrusters eventually worked. But engineers scrambled, making a test-fire thruster on the ground and in space. After two months, there is still no root cause for the thruster malfunctions. All but one of the 28 thrusters appear to be fine, but the fear is that the safety of the crew could be jeopardized if too much conk out again. The thrusters are needed at the end of the flight to keep the capsule in the correct position for the critical deorbit burn.
ARE BOTH FIELDS SIGNED?
NASA is expecting suggestions that Wilmore and Williams are stranded or stuck. NASA has said from the start that the pair could still use the Starliner as a lifeboat to leave in the event of an emergency at the space station – such as a fire or decompression. A former NASA executive said the astronauts are “stuck”, though certainly not stranded. They are safely aboard the space station with plenty of supplies and work to do, Scott Hubbard said.
If NASA decides to go with SpaceX’s return, Starliner would first be cut loose to open one of two parking spots for US capsules. Before that happens, Wilmore and Williams would make seats for themselves in the SpaceX Dragon capsule that is currently closed at the space station. That’s because every occupant always needs a lifeboat. When the Starliner docking port is empty, SpaceX could launch another Dragon to fill that slot — the one Wilmore and Williams would ride.
WHY MIGHT THEY WAIT UNTIL THE FIRST YEAR?
Like the Boeing Starliner, SpaceX’s Dragon is meant to carry four astronauts. To make room for Wilmore and Williams, NASA said Wednesday it could meet two of the four astronauts to be sent to the space station next month by SpaceX. The empty seats would be reserved for Wilmore and Williams, but they would have to wait there until February. That’s because station missions are planned to last at least six months. Some have spent a year. Two current Russians will close out a year-long stint when they return in a three-seat Soyuz capsule in September with NASA colleagues. There is no thought of ordering a special SpaceX express, and the Dragon at the station will be the ride home next month for four residents.
This is not the first time a US astronaut has had a time extension. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his two Russian colleagues spent just over a year in space when space junk hit their docked Soyuz capsule and leaked all its coolant. An empty Russian capsule was set up to bring them back last September.
WHAT ARE THE REGIMES LOOKING AT ALL OF THIS?
Wilmore and Williams are retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts with long space station missions behind them. Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, said going into this test flight they expected to learn a lot about Starliner and how it works. At their only news conference from space in July, they assured reporters they were staying busy, helping with repairs and research, and expressed confidence in all the Starliner tests going on behind the scenes. They have yet to receive any public word on the expected eight-month stay.
IS THERE HOPE FOR FOOD, WATER AND AIR?
The bags of Wilmore and Williams were removed from Starliner before they were taken out to make room for urgently needed equipment for a urine recycling system into the space station’s drinking water. So they did it with spare clothes up there. A supply ship finally arrived this week with their clothes, as well as additional food and science experiments for the full crew of nine. More supplies are due in a few months. For air, the space station has its own oxygen generation systems. Despite the fat reserves, NASA wants to return to normal as soon as possible. Besides Wilmore and Williams, there are four other Americans and three Russians on board.
WHY DID NASA ACCEPT STARLINER?
NASA deliberately hired two companies to get its crews to and from the space station, just as it did to deliver cargo. The space agency considered it an insurance policy of sorts: If one crew or cargo provider was grounded, the other could carry the load. ‘You want to have an alternative for cost reasons and for safety reasons and options. So NASA needs Boeing to be successful,” said Hubbard, who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003.
Even with the latest setbacks, NASA insists it wants to continue using Boeing Starliners for astronaut travel. The goal is to launch one Dragon and one Starliner each year with crews, six months apart, until the station is retired in 2030. SpaceX has been working on it since 2020.
WHAT IS BOEING?
Boeing insists its capsule could bring the astronauts home safely. But the company said Wednesday it would take the necessary steps to return the capsule empty if that is NASA’s decision. Last week, the company listed all the tests that had been done on the thrusters since the shutdown.
“We still believe in Starliner’s capabilities and its flight rationale.” said the company.
As a longtime space contractor, Boeing has had to overcome numerous Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before getting it manned, with the initial flight test being repeated due to bad software and other issues. The delays cost the company more than $1 billion.
Hubbard questions whether NASA and Boeing should have sent the crew with the original helium leak, which went into more.
“Whatever happens with the Starliner, they need to find out what the problem was and fix it,” he said, “And give everyone confidence that they’re still in the aerospace business in a big way.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Section is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science and Media Education Group. The AP is solely responsible for all matters.
