Two astronauts trapped in space: ‘No return date’
Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams are stuck without a return date to the International Space Station (ISS) due to a malfunction of the Boeing Starliner that carried them there. The trip was directed check the effectiveness of Boeing spacecraft for flights to the ISS.
Wilmore and Williams took off from the Space Force station at Cape Canaveral (Florida, USA) on June 5 and arrived at the ISS a day later. Basically, They were supposed to return to Earth on June 14., but problems on the Boeing ship that was supposed to bring them back caused a delay of several weeks. At the moment, the astronauts do not have a specific return date.
Both NASA and Boeing claim that the astronauts are not stuck, are not in danger and have enough supplies on the ISS.in accordance with The keeper. In particular, the plane had helium leaks and problems with the propellers.
“We are taking our time and following our mission management team’s standard process. We let data guide our decisions about monitoring small leaks in the helium system and engine performance that we observed during the rendezvous and docking,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program Director Steve Stich.
Boeing Starliner
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, still under development, is part of NASA’s commercial crew program. It is designed to carry seven passengers (passengers and cargo). “For NASA service missions to the International Space Station, it will transport up to four NASA-sponsored crew membersBoeing points out on its website.
The ship is sent from Earth to the ISS, where it docks. In principle, it is responsible for returning astronauts to Earth, but if it remains inoperative, it is likely that Williams and Wilmore will have to travel with the spacecraft. SpaceX Dragonwhich is currently also docked to the ISS.
The dispute coincides with many others involving Boeing several commercial planes failed last year. For example, in early 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max lost its emergency door when it flipped over at an altitude of 4,900 meters.
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