OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:20 PM – Thursday, July 25, 2024
Due to helium leaks, as well as issues pertaining to the thrusters on the Boeing Starliner, complications continue to delay the return of two astronauts who have been stranded in the international space station for over a month.
Meanwhile, NASA and Boeing officials have not set a panned return date for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams as they continue to assess issues plaguing the Boeing spacecraft.
Officials expect the two to spend at least a few more weeks in space as they continue troubleshooting. The astronauts were originally supposed to be in space for a total of eight days, however, they soon came across a series of malfunctions and leaks.
NASA and Boeing employees require a final set of successful tests, which will be conducted over the weekend. The tests are required in order to get the spacecraft on track for an agency review, paving the way for an official return date for the stranded astronauts.
“The prime intent is still to return Butch and Suni aboard Starliner,” stated NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich.
Additionally, engineers at a New Mexico facility are currently running a separate series of tests to get a better understanding on why the thrusters were shutting down, as well as the possible dangers of turning the faulty thrusters back on.
However, should the tests fail, NASA still claims that it has contingency plans in place to get the astronauts home safely. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship awaits in the wings if the crew bails on the Starliner and requires a backup craft to safely return back to earth.
The manager of Boeing’s Starliner program, Mark Nappi, commented on the backlash that the company has been receiving based on the initial announcement that the mission would take only eight days, which the unanticipated malfunctions haven’t allowed the agency to adhere to.
“My regret is that we didn’t say we would stay up there until the mission is complete, but I’m very confident we have a good vehicle to bring the crew back,” Nappi maintained.
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