Why are astronauts stuck in space ?
Two NASA astronauts set out to test the new Boeing Starliner space craft. The 10 day space mission landed in trouble and they have been stuck in space for months now. Starliner returned back to Earth without the astonauts because of safety issues. Here is the latest update on their rescue plans.
Latest Update
NASA decided Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, Starliner spacecraft's crew, will stay back in the ISS due to safety risks during re-entry. The space craft undocked successfully on 7 September 2024. Thruster engines worked as expected. Starliner landed safely on the desert sands of New Mexico. It's three parachutes and six airbags deployed without problems, leading to a successful soft landing.
Starliner and its crew
Sunita Williams is a senior NASA astronaut and retired US Navy Officer. Butch Wilmore is an experienced NASA astronaut and a US Navy test pilot. They were selected as test pilots for the maiden flight of Boeing's Starliner space craft. They travelled to the International Space Station (around 400km above Earth) on June 05, 2024. It was a 10 day mission.
Docking problems
The launch was successful. Space crafts travelling to the ISS have to slow down, steer the spacecraft in to the correct position to park it (called docking). Small engines called thrusters are used to steer the space craft and control its speed. Four thruster engines on Boeing Starliner had issues during docking. With only one fully working thruster engine to steer the space craft, it took the astronauts one hour (instead of minutes) to dock with the ISS.
Helium leaks
Propellant fuel is stored in tanks inside the space craft. When propellant level goes down, Helium gas fills the empty space. This maintains a constant pressure in the tank. One of the pipes carrying Helium gass to the tank had a leak. This Helium leak was found before launch. NASA and Boeing classifies it as a minor issue. Starliner took off without fixing the leak. During the flight more Helium leaks were detected.
Repairs and Fixes
Helium leak is suspected to be a problem with worn out teflon valves. There is no sure way to confirm this till the space craft returns back to Earth amd Boeing engineers can check it thoroughly.
Why are astronauts stuck
When space crafts retrun back, entering the atmosphere is an important part of the journey. Excess friction and speed heats the space craft making it reach scorching temperatures.
During Starliner's return, thruster engines will control the speed and steer it for a safe re-entry. Without identifying the root cause and fixing it, NASA decided the return journey a risk for astronauts. The Starliner space craft is expected to return back without its crew. Boeing engineers can check the space craft and fix it.
Starliner's calypso module landed safely on the desert sands of New Mexico on 7 September 2024. It has returned back carrying only the space suits of its two crew members as they do not need it anymore. Undocking, re-entry and landing went on successfully without a glitch. The team at Boeing will check the spacecraft thoroughly.
Rescue mission
Starliner's crew, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, will stay back on the ISS till Feb 2025. A planned Space X mission to the ISS in Feb 2025 will bring them back to Earth.
Check this page for regular updates on the Starliner and its astronauts.
