NASA is currently wrestling with the question of how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station after their return aboard Boeing’s damaged capsule was repeatedly postponed.
Will they take the risk and send them home soon on Boeing’s Starliner? Or will they wait and bring them back next year with SpaceX?
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been up there since early June; their planned eight-day mission has already lasted two months and may even last longer than eight months.
The tests continue. Boeing is confident about its spacecraft, but NASA is divided. A decision is expected next week.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH BOEING’S STARLINER?
This is Boeing’s first test flight after two empty Starliners previously flew with software and other problems. Even before Wilmore and Williams’ launch on June 5, their capsule had a leak in the propulsion line. Boeing and NASA judged the small helium leak to be stable and isolated and carried out the test flight. But as the Starliner approached the space station the next day, four more leaks occurred. Five engines also failed.
The capsule was able to dock safely and eventually four of the engines were working. But engineers scrambled to do everything they could, conducting engine tests on the ground and in space. After two months, there is still no cause for the engine malfunctions. All but one of the 28 engines appear to be OK, but there are concerns that crew safety could be at risk if too many fail again. The engines are needed at the end of the flight to keep the capsule in the right position for the critical deorbit burn.
ARE THE TWO ASTRONAUTS STRANDED?
NASA is outraged by suggestions that Wilmore and Williams are stranded or stuck. NASA has stressed from the beginning that in the event of an emergency on the space station – such as a fire or decompression – Starliner could still be used by the pair as a lifeboat for escape. A former NASA executive said Thursday that the astronauts were “kind of pinned down,” although they were certainly not stranded. They are safe aboard the space station and have plenty of supplies and work ahead of them, Scott Hubbard said.
If NASA decides to return with SpaceX, Starliner would first be unmoored to free up one of two parking spots for U.S. capsules. Before that, Wilmore and Williams would build seats for themselves in the SpaceX Dragon capsule currently docked to the space station. That’s because every station occupant needs a lifeboat at all times. Once Starliner’s docking slot is empty, SpaceX could launch another Dragon capsule to fill that spot – the one Wilmore and Williams would ride in.
WHY MAY YOU HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR?
Like Boeing’s Starliner, SpaceX’s Dragon is designed to carry four astronauts. To make room for Wilmore and Williams, NASA said Wednesday it could pull two of the four astronauts scheduled to launch to the space station with SpaceX next month. The empty seats would be reserved for Wilmore and Williams, but they would have to stay up there until February. Missions to the station are designed to last at least six months. Some have lasted a year. Two Russians currently up there will end their year-long stay when they return in September in a three-seat Soyuz capsule with a NASA crew member. There are no plans to order a special SpaceX Express, and the Dragon now at the station will be the ride home for four residents next month.
This is not the first time a US astronaut has extended his stay. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his two Russian crewmates spent just over a year in space after their docked Soyuz capsule was hit by space debris and leaked all the coolant. Last September, an empty Russian capsule was sent into space to retrieve them.
WHAT DO ASTRONAUTS THINK ABOUT IT ALL?
Wilmore and Williams are both retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts who have served long space station missions. Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, said before this test flight that they expected to learn a lot about Starliner and how it works. At their only press conference from space in July, they assured reporters they were busy helping with repairs and research, and expressed confidence in all the Starliner testing going on behind the scenes. They have not yet commented publicly on the prospects of an eight-month stay.
IS THERE ENOUGH FOOD, WATER AND AIR?
Wilmore and Williams’ suitcases were removed from the Starliner before launch to make room for much-needed equipment for the space station’s urine-to-drinking-water recycling system, so they had to make do with spare clothing that was already up there. This week, a supply ship finally arrived with their clothes, as well as extra food and science experiments for the entire nine-person crew. More deliveries are expected in a few months. As for air, the space station has its own oxygen-generating systems. Despite the fat reserves, NASA wants to return to normal as soon as possible. In addition to Wilmore and Williams, four other Americans and three Russians are on board.
WHY IS NASA STICKING ON STARLINER?
NASA deliberately hired two companies to get its crews to the space station and back, just as it had done to deliver cargo. The space agency viewed this as a kind of insurance policy: If one crew or cargo company had to stay grounded, the other could transport the cargo. “You need an alternative, both for cost and safety and options. So NASA needs Boeing to be successful,” said Hubbard, who served on the Columbia accident investigation board in 2003.
Despite recent setbacks, NASA insists it will continue to use Boeing Starliners for astronaut flights. The goal is to send a crewed Dragon and a Starliner to the ISS every six months until the station is decommissioned in 2030. SpaceX has been involved since 2020.
WHAT DOES BOEING SAY?
Boeing insists its capsule could still bring the astronauts home safely. However, the company said Wednesday it would take the necessary steps to return the capsule empty if that is NASA’s decision. Last week, the company released a list of all the tests it has performed on the engines since launch.
“We continue to believe in the Starliner’s performance and flight capability,” the company said.
Boeing, a longtime space supplier, has struggled with numerous Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before it could bring on a crew. The first flight test had to be repeated because of faulty software and other problems. The delays have cost the company more than a billion dollars.
Hubbard questions whether NASA and Boeing should have launched the crew despite the original helium leak that resulted in further eruptions.
“Whatever happens with the Starliner, they need to figure out what the problem was and fix it,” he said. “And give everyone some reassurance that they’re still in the aerospace business in a big way.”
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