Why were two Boeing astronauts stuck in space? | News of the interpreters

explainer

A series of problems with Boeing's new CST-100 Starliner spacecraft have delayed its return from the International Space Station.

Two NASA-trained astronauts testing Boeing's new CST-100 Starliner spacecraft were forced to remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting about 400 kilometers (250 miles) away after they encountered difficulties. Art with their spacecraft.

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 13, after Boeing’s Starliner capsule launched its first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida on June 5. But Starliner was plagued by problems even before its June 5 launch. A previous launch attempt on June 1 was canceled just moments before liftoff due to a problem with the ground control computer’s performance.

During the 25-hour flight to the International Space Station, the spacecraft experienced several helium leaks and a propulsion motor failure. Then, when the Starliner arrived on June 6 and attempted to dock at the International Space Station, four more of its 28 thrusters failed, delaying the ship's arrival.

According to a Boeing spokesperson, four of the five thrusters that previously failed are now operating normally. “This means that only one engine out of 27 is currently offline. This does not pose a problem for the return mission,” the spokesman added.

Who are the two astronauts stuck in space?

Sunita “Sonny” Williams is an American astronaut and US Navy officer who joined NASA in 1998. Williams made her first spaceflight to the International Space Station to service the electricity-generating solar array panels aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116) in December 2006. When she was an aerospace engineer. Her second mission was in May 2012 as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 to the International Space Station to test a new small satellite deployment system. After completing other missions, Williams was one of the first astronauts selected for training in NASA's Commercial Crew Program in 2015.

Williams has spent a total of 322 days in space to date and is best known for her stints aboard the International Space Station, where she set records for the longest spaceflight by a woman (195 days) and previously held the record for seven spacewalks, when astronauts step outside a spacecraft, by a female astronaut. That record was only broken by Peggy Whitson in 2017. Whitson has now completed 10 spacewalks.

Williams has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore was a passenger on Space Shuttle Atlantis to deliver parts to the International Space Station in November 2009, and served as commander of the International Space Station from November 2014 to March 2015.

Wilmore's first spaceflight was aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) in November 2009 as part of a mission to deliver spare parts to the International Space Station. He served as a flight engineer on Expedition 41 in May 2014 to study the effects on the body and plant growth during weightlessness. He was also the commander of Expedition 42 to study how space affects immune cells and monitor pollution in Earth's atmosphere in 2014.

Wilmore also received numerous awards, including the Defense Senior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the NASA Spaceflight Medal.

What is Boeing doing about stranded astronauts?

NASA and Boeing are using the additional time spent by astronauts aboard the International Space Station to evaluate problems with the thrusters that disrupted the Starliner vehicle's initial attempt to dock with the International Space Station on June 6.

Stephen Hirschhorn, NASA's chief aeronautical engineer, took it upon himself to LinkedIn A page to explain some of the issues with Starliner. “The issues reported on Starliner, the reaction control engine and the helium leaks in the propulsion system, are all in the spacecraft’s service module,” he explained. “When the crew leaves the ISS and de-orbits, the service module is jettisoned and burns up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. As such, the helium systems and thrusters will not return to Earth for failure analysis. They are gone. As such, the only way to gain insight into what could be going on out there is in space.

When will the stranded astronauts return to Earth?

According to NASA, the Starliner could be docked to the ISS for up to 45 days, or a maximum of 72 days if the backup system is used.

Last week, NASA said it was aiming to return sometime in early July. NASA said mission teams on the International Space Station needed additional time to thoroughly investigate problems with the propulsion system.

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said in a statement earlier this week. “We are letting the data guide our decision-making regarding the management of the small helium system leaks and the thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”