The astronauts have been stuck at the International Space Station since the beginning of June – and will spend more months in space before finally returning to Earth.
Months after departing for a week-long flight, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will end up spending more than eight months in space.A cascade of vexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule marred their trip to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the flight back.
“This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,” added Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator.It was a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its aeroplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliner’s first crew trip to revive the troubled spacecraft program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe, based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground.
Wilmore’s wife, Deanna, was equally stoic in an interview earlier this month with WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, their home state. She was already bracing for a delay: “You just sort of have to roll with it.” The docked Russian Soyuz capsule is even tighter, capable of flying only three — two of whom are Russians wrapping up a year-long stint.
All but one of those small thrusters restarted in flight, but engineers were perplexed by ground testing that showed a thruster seal swelling and obstructing a propellant line. They theorised that the seals in orbit may have expanded, then reverted to their normal size. Officials said the results marked the turning point, as their concerns grew.AP
Despite Saturday’s decision, NASA isn’t giving up on Boeing. Nelson said he is “100 per cent” certain that Starliner will fly again.
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