Free Republic

NASA said Tuesday they have revised their strategy in order to expedite the homecoming of two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), the space agency said on Feb. 11.Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the space station for eight months, are now slated to return to Earth in mid-March—two weeks earlier than the previously anticipated late March or April timeframe, according to NASA.The change in plans involves SpaceX altering its capsule assignments for upcoming missions.“Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said in a statement released by...

The official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nicole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas NASA and SpaceX are pushing up Crew-10’s launch date by reusing a previously flown Dragon spacecraft, Endurance. This strategic shift speeds up both Crew-10’s arrival and Crew-9’s return while ensuring mission safety. The flexibility in planning reflects the strong collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, allowing for a seamless crew transition aboard the ISS. Crew Rotation Missions Accelerate...