Boeing Starliner crew encounters new helium leak
(CNN) — Following the successful launch Wednesday morning of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft with two astronauts aboard, NASA and Boeing discovered two more helium leaks on the Starliner as it flew into low-Earth orbit toward the International Space Station.
As NASA astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams were getting ready to go to bed, mission control told them they needed to close two valves due to two new helium leaks. A third leak was discovered before launch and was deemed “acceptable”.
“Teams have identified three helium leaks on the spacecraft. One of them was previously discussed before the flight along with the control plan. The other two are new since the spacecraft reached orbit,” Johnson Space Center published in NASA’s X Magazine.
“Looks like we’ve detected a couple more helium leaks,” mission control told the astronauts, as heard on a NASA broadcast. Controllers then explained to the crew the plan to close the two valves.
“We’re ready to… find out exactly what you mean by finding another helium leak, just say so,” Astronaut Wilmore told them.
“Butch, I’m sorry. We are still making up the story,” Mission Control responded.
NASA and Boeing have since determined the crew are safe and have ordered them to sleep while they continue to analyze data on the leaks. The crew was supposed to sleep 9 hours, but solving problems did not allow them to rest for an hour.
Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams on Saturday before Starliner’s second launch attempt. (Photo: Joe Skipper/Reuters)
“We have some issues to watch at night with regard to the helium leaks that were just mentioned, and we have a lot of smart people here on earth who are going to look at these things and keep an eye on them. them.” him, but now the device is in a configuration in which it can fly safely,” Boeing aerospace engineer Brandon Burrows said in a NASA broadcast.
The Johnson Space Center said in a statement that “the crew continues on its way to the (ISS) and is in a sleep period” and “the spacecraft remains stable.”
It remains to be determined what the impact of the leaks will be, but all indications are that Starliner is still scheduled to dock with the International Space Station at noon this Thursday.