Astronauts stuck in space at least another week as Boeing and NASA troubleshoot Starliner spacecraft issues

Yahoo! ^ | June 19, 2024 | Katie Hawkinson

[Red Badger]

Two astronauts will be stuck on the International Space Station for at least another week as experts at NASA and Boeing struggle to fix their spacecraft.

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived on the ISS on June 6 after a successful Boeing Starliner launch. Expected to only stay a week, the two will not be arriving on Earth before June 26, NASA and Boeing officials said in a Tuesday press conference.

The Boeing Starliner is facing several mechanical problems. En route to the station, the crew reported problems with five thrusters and four helium leaks. A fifth helium leak has since cropped up. Crews are working to make sure its safe before the astronauts are put back on and return home.

This delay comes after NASA and Boeing crews announced June 22 as their return date.

“We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we’re really ready to come home,” Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, said on Tuesday.

Stich said they do not see a scenario “where Starliner is not going to be able to bring Butch and Suni home.”

Crews will attempt to land in the White Sands area of New Mexico next week. If the crew cannot make the June 26 landing, the next “prime opportunity” will be on July 2, .

Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program, said the crew is feeling positive.

“They love Starliner, they love being in the vehicle, they love being on ISS,” Weigel said on Tuesday. “I think, you know, if you ask Butch and Suni, they might want to stay for a long period of time.”

[SaveFerris]

Yeah, that was pretty cool. I think I remember it landing. Good scene.

[SaveFerris]

There she is!

For some reason I wanna say the craft was supposedly built by Boeing or perhaps Lockheed

But it’s been a long time - maybe that didn’t apply at all