They have been at the International Space Station since June 6. They were supposed to return on June 22, but they postponed their trip.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ended speculation and provided information on the situation in which the astronauts are Suni Williams and Butch Wilmorewho were sent to the EInternational Space Station (ISS) in the Starliner capsule.
The American space agency The astronauts were scheduled to return to Earth on June 22, but the mission was extended indefinitely due to a series of problems such as leaks and failures. This generated a lot of speculation, so from Boeingthe company that worked with NASA to send the manned capsule, revealed what the future will be for Williams and Wilmore.
The future of NASA astronauts stranded in space
When the news broke that Williams and Wilmore could not return to Earth due to problems with the ship, they both decided to make a series of live broadcasts from the ISS to show the work and arrangements related to solving problems such as helium leaks and propellant shutdown.
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According to Steve Stich, NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager, do not believe that Starliner will not be able to bring back astronauts, although “we really want to work with the rest of the data” that they have available. For their part, Mark Nappi, vice president of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, He gave a press conference and assured that the astronauts “They are not trapped“.
He further explained: “The crew is in no danger and there will be no further risk if we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth.“. And he assured that “Starliner is working very well And we’re getting exactly what we wanted from this test: learning things that can only be learned in flight.”
Why NASA delayed the return of the Starliner spacecraft
According to the US agency, they are working on solving the problem. Helium leaks and problems with four Reaction System thrusters“The extra time will allow the team to finalize exit planning and operations,” NASA said.
In addition, to reassure the two astronauts, he indicated that the ship is prepared for “an emergency return of the crewwithin the flight rules.”
For their part, Williams and Wilmore prepared to be in space for 8 dayswhich is how long the mission would last, however, The ship’s faults prevented its return.
Source: Ambito
