Starliner astronauts trapped in space

the Starliner capsule crew They were stranded in space and had no scheduled return to Earth. Boeing confirmed that the astronauts They will spend the entire summer aboard the International Space Station.The mission, which was initially scheduled to last eight days, was extended due to technical problems and now includes a flight in September.

NASA View Starliner mission updateWhile there is no specific date for the astronauts’ return, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Significant progress has been made in the bug fixing process.Stitch explained the changes made to the maneuvering thrusters, one of the three failures of the space capsule.

On the other hand, Mark Nabi, Vice President and Director of Commercial Crew Program at Boeing, commented on this. Various tests were conducted to determine helium leakage.Nabi added that they decided they could conduct further analysis while the capsule was docked with the International Space Station.

Although Boeing considers the mission accomplished and is aware of the operation, the question is what will happen to the astronauts. NASA said that The Starliner could stay in space for another 90 days.The space agency said the goal is to bring them back, but first they must work out all the bugs.

“I’m sorry we didn’t say we were going to stay there until we got everything we wanted to,” Stitch said. The Boeing executive added that They knew the mission would be longer than they thought.But they did not inform him.

Starliner astronauts
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, astronauts on the Starliner mission.

What happens if Boeing doesn’t fix Starliner?

One of the main questions they have asked NASA and Boeing is about contingency planning. While engineers are making progress with analysis and simulation, there is a chance they won’t be able to solve Starliner’s problems. Given this, NASA notes that They have a backup plan to bring the astronauts back..

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