NASA and Boeing Stress That Astronauts Are Not in Any Danger

After years of delays, Boeing finally launched its new spacecraft, the Starliner, with two seasoned astronauts aboard. The rocket is meant to deliver people and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).

At first, the mission was meant to last only eight days in space, including take-off and descent. However, more than three weeks have passed since the two astronauts took off from Earth, and experts now say they cannot ensure an exact return date.

Multiple problems delayed the spacecraft’s launch. Luckily, the two astronauts onboard during these issues did not face these critical issues when they were sent into space.

After having their return trip home pushed back multiple times, the astronauts on board learned that they would be forced to reschedule a third time.

The two seasoned astronauts are aware of the risks of interstellar travel.

Although the team is already well past their date of return, they still don’t know exactly when they can come back to Earth.

According to Phys, four of the tiny engines that direct the craft in space are now working properly, but the engineers don’t have a clear understanding of what caused the issue in the first place.

The launch delay will also allow engineers to study the helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion systems, which was first detected before launch and worsened as the spacecraft made its way up to the space station.

In the case of an emergency such as this one, NASA has already planned for extreme measures. If officials cannot fix the issues in time, the spacecraft can be docked for up to 72 days while relying on various backup systems.

The additional Operational Checkout Capabilities (OCC) added to the spacecraft during testing included tablets and procedure updates. These camera and tablet batteries charge while the spacecraft is fully powered.

Boeing and NASA are stressing to the public that the two astronauts are not stranded in space. In case of an emergency, the astronauts could board the Starliner and return to Earth.

“We updated some products on board to support the continued docked duration through the month of July and through the higher positive beta periods we are approaching,” said Chloe Mehring, the Starliner flight director who coordinated the power-up actions with Wilmore and Williams.

Ken Bowersox, an associate administrator at NASA, says that they are using “the luxury of time”   that the delay of the astronaut’s return has provided to allow the team in space to collect more data.

To get back to Earth safely, the Starliner’s propulsion system will need to be fixed in time. The propulsion system is needed to back the capsule away from the ISS and steer it in the correct direction. Otherwise, the astronauts inside would have no steering system.

In the past year, Boeing has been dealing with a whistleblower trial, which came from claims that in a factory building plane, they intentionally missed essential safety checks. In the following months, two of the whistleblowers involved in the case wound up dead, casing some harsh claims for the company.

Although the situation seems dire, the two astronauts could safely return to Earth even if the propulsion system cannot be repaired. The capsule can serve as an escape pod in case of an emergency.

In 2022, Russia’s Soyuz capsule sprang a leak in the coolant after delivering two cosmonauts (Russian astronauts) and American astronaut Frank Rubio to the ISS.

During the previous incident, NASA considered using the Crew Dragon to pick up Colonel Rubio from the ISS. However, he was able to use an empty Soyuz capsule that Russia launched as a rescue craft.

Despite feeling trapped in space, Williams and Wilmore keep calm on the ISS. They have enough food, water, and oxygen to last months in an emergency.

NASA and Boeing announced that they will not examine the thruster or investigate the helium leak when Starliner returns to Earth because they will jettison the propulsion system upon reentry.

In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX received multibillion-dollar contracts to develop their projects. Since 2020, SpaceX has carried more than half a dozen crews to the ISS.

SpaceX received a NASA contract to build a spacecraft with reusable parts to deorbit the ISS so it can burn up in the atmosphere upon retirement in 2030. Meanwhile, Boeing has not received any certification from NASA, revealing cracks in their already flawed program.

The current mission was supposed to launch last year. However, Boeing and NASA had to replace the flammable tape used extensively in Starliner and fix the parachute system that slowed the spacecraft’s descent toward the ground.

According to Phys, Boeing has absorbed nearly $1.5 billion in Starliner cost overruns, and the company expects that number to grow as it continues to deal with the fallout from the two crashes of its 737 Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019.