A novel about astronauts Starliner stuck on the International Space Station, he hasn’t yet written his final chapter. POT continues to work to determine which option is best to return Butch Wilmore And Suni Williamswho were forced to remain in space much longer than planned due to technical malfunctions detected in the spacecraft. Boeing.
The US space agency said yesterday that it is working on a plan to determine the best option for returning astronauts. One of the options under consideration is use the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsuleif it is determined that it is too risky for them to travel aboard Starliner again. A final decision will be announced in the coming days.
SpaceNews It says NASA plans to announce its decision in mid-August. If it confirms that there are no safety guarantees for Wilmore and Williams to board the Boeing spacecraft again, they will have to remain on the International Space Station. until the beginning of 2025The above will be part of the laboratory’s crew rotation in orbit and will return to Earth aboard the SpaceX vehicle that will be used on the Crew-9 mission.
With that possibility in mind, NASA earlier this week confirmed a delay in the launch of Crew-9. It was scheduled for August 18 but has now been pushed back to September 24. The agency’s idea would have been to send a SpaceX capsule. with two astronauts instead of fouras originally planned, to free up those seats for the return of Wilmore and Williams next year.
There are still issues to be resolved with Starliner
While the chances of returning Starliner astronauts to Earth in a SpaceX capsule are growing, Boeing is not giving up. As reported Ars Techniquethe aerospace company is working on Convince NASA engineers that conditions had been created for Wilmore and Williams to return in their car.
During Starliner’s ascent to the International Space Station, five of the capsule’s engines failed. Although four of them recovered from overheating, The exact cause of the problem has not yet been determined.. Boeing engineers have discovered a bulge in the Teflon seal of the oxidizer valve. Despite this, the root of the problem has not yet been identified and the possibility of a repeat of the incident during the Starliner manned return attempt cannot be ruled out.
Added to this is another problem related to the software of the Boeing car. Today, Starliner Can’t Undock from the International Space Station on Its Own. Although the capsule has this capability, it is not currently activated. Therefore, the company’s engineers need to modify the ship’s programs so that it can be released from the ISS remotely. Work that takes several weeks and which would also affect the delay of Crew-9.
The idea of using SpaceX’s craft to rescue stranded astronauts appears to be a problem among NASA officials. However, Boeing still has some hope of building them. change your mindSeattle residents are racing against time to resolve the Starliner crisis.
Source: Hiper Textual
