In recent weeks, fears for the safety of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stoked after their Starliner spacecraft remained docked at the International Space Station (ISS) far beyond its initial timeline following helium leaks.
NASA previously denied reports that the astronauts were stranded, and now Williams herself has delivered a reassuring update while in Space.
Williams Expresses Confidence
In a new video, Williams said, “I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we can get in our spacecraft and we can dock, talk to our team and figure out the best way to come home.”
She added, “like I’ve said, we’ve practiced a lot, so I have a … real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home.”
Starliner Layout
The Starliner contains service and crew modules. Describing the spacecraft’s layout, former ISS Commander Terry Virts said, “The capsule has a parachute and a heat shield and the astronauts come back to Earth in this. The service modules have these four dog houses.”
He added, “In each doghouse, there’s several small RCS jets and larger O-max rocket engines. And these small little jets control the direction that the capsule points.”
What is The Problem?
Virts said, “The service module, when it separates, it hits the atmosphere going 25,000km an hour, burns up. During docking, a few of these small RCS jets failed off. They were able to get most of them turned back on again, but they did have some problems with them.”
Speaking to why the astronauts are being kept in Space pending further tests, Virts said, “But once they separate and this thing burns up, they’re never going to be able to test it again.”
Meet The Crew
Barry E. Wilmore previously piloted NASA’s 2009 STS-129 mission and returned to space in September 2014 as part of Expedition 41/42.
Meanwhile, pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams, began astronaut training in 1998 and was launched into space in 2006 via NASA’s STS-116 mission. This latest Boeing/NASA mission made Williams the first woman to pilot a spacecraft on its maiden test flight.
Why Delayed Return Sparked Fears
Issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters, as well as helium leaks, emerged in early June. However, it was at first believed that these issues had been resolved before blasting off. However, serious issues emerged and persisted while the astronauts were in space; delaying their return to Earth.
Driving concerns were reports that the Starliner only had 45 days’ worth of fuel supplies. However, NASA has since denied as such.
Revised Timeline For Return
NASA have now said that the Starliner is performing well enough to stay in orbit beyond the 45-day limit.
NASA now says that the Starliner should be able to stay in space for more than double that time, allowing for further testing of the spacecraft’s faults.
NASA Speaks Out
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, said “We talked about a 45-day limit, limited by the crew module batteries on Starliner, and we’re in the process of updating that limit.”
He added, “We’ve been looking at those batteries and their performance on orbit. They’re getting recharged by station, and that risk hasn’t really changed. So the risk for the next 45 days is essentially the same as the first 45 days.”
Implications For Space Race
Initially, the Starliner’s launch was seen as a victory for Boeing in their rivalry with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
After the Starliner’s launch in early June, SpaceX’s Musk congratulated Boeing on Twitter, despite their rivalry.
More NASA News
Earlier this month, NASA made headlines again after four astronauts returned from the Mars Dune Alpha Mission – which had been designed to simulate life on Mars.
NASA’s director of engineering, Julie Kramer, said of the project, “[it] gives us an opportunity to learn all these critical things about these complex systems, and it’s going to make going to Mars and back a lot safer.”
