The husband of an astronaut trapped in space indefinitely says she won’t be disappointed to be stranded in space.
Michael Williams, the husband of astronaut Sunita Williams, told the The Wall Street Journal That space is his wife’s “happy place,” even though a possible return flight raises the specter of her vaporization.
Williams’ Boeing Starliner’s thrusters failed after its launch in June, meaning it must either repair (and rely on) the Boeing Starliner to get it home, or wait for an option from Space X that could last well into next year.
Williams has been alongside Butch Wilmore on the International Space Station (ISS) for two months, and the duo heard this week that their flight back to Earth could be delayed once again.
Sunita Williams (pictured), one of NASA’s astronauts currently on the ISS indefinitely, won’t be bothered by her extended stay because space is her “happy place,” her husband said.
Williams spent two months alongside astronaut Butch Wilmore on the ISS, despite his original mission being initially planned to last just eight days.
The earliest Williams and Wilmore could return would be February 2025, as NASA has drawn up a contingency plan that would launch a two-person crew on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in September but still not bring the crew home until months later.
When they launched in the spring, the astronaut duo were only scheduled to be on the ISS for eight days.
But they have passed the two-month mark with no clear end in sight, and are forced to remain in orbit for fear that using the Starliner again could end in catastrophe.
The Boeing spacecraft suffered thruster failures and helium leaks, leaving teams in space to conduct tests to determine if the capsule could fly.
Boeing, which has been under scrutiny this year for a series of aircraft failures and near misses, said it is “confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to safely return the crew.”
However, experts told DailyMail.com in June that NASA might be forced to launch a rescue mission, suggesting Elon Musk’s SpaceX would be chosen to do so.
The crew’s return mission has been delayed several times since its launch in June due to the craft experiencing leaks and thruster problems during its journey to the International Space Station (ISS).
During their extended stay in space, Williams and Wilmore will be on the ISS alongside seven other astronauts.
According to the WSJ, his days are typically filled with scientific research and shuttle maintenance, as well as educational content such as answering questions live from students and schoolchildren.
They typically exercise several hours a day to prevent bone and muscle loss typical of space, and their vital signs are monitored from the ground.
Astronauts tend to work and sleep in eight-hour periods, even though they are technically constantly on call.
Mike Gruntman, a professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California, told DailyMail.com that “it’s more likely that SpaceX will be able to provide an additional launch in the foreseeable future to bring back astronauts.”
“It is very unfortunate that Boeing’s Starliner, after so many flight delays, continues to face problems,” Gruntman continued.
For decades, Boeing was one of the most admired aerospace and defense companies. It is a true national tragedy.
NASA insists that astronauts are not technically stranded and that in the event of a serious emergency, they could use the Starliner again.
The crisis that led to the astronauts remaining in space, however, was the result of a disagreement over a plan to use Boeing’s own data to rely on the Starliner’s safety.
While Boeing insists it is safe, Commercial Crew Program chief Steve Stich said officials have not reached a conclusion.
“We heard from a lot of people who had concerns and the decision was not clear,” added Ken Bowersox, NASA’s chief of space operations.
Williams and Wilmore seen shortly before their June launch, which came after several previous delays and postponements caused by the Boeing shuttle.
Starliner has found five faults in its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of helium gas meant to pressurize those thrusters and a slow-moving thruster valve that indicated past unfixed problems since launch.
While no decision has been made on whether to use Starliner or SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, NASA has been giving Boeing more time to do more testing and gather more data to build a better case for relying on Starliner.
The expedition-wrecking leak was first discovered after Starliner’s first planned launch in May, when crews detected a valve leaking helium and called off the mission.
Engineers suspected the problem stemmed from a faulty rubber seal the size of a shirt button, and said that even if the leak worsened, it could be controlled in flight, and set the next launch for June 1.
However, Starliner was hit by another set of mishaps when the capsule was automatically stopped minutes before takeoff by a computer-controlled abort system.
The delay was caused by computers on the Atlas V rocket’s launch pad coordinating the final moments before liftoff, but the Starliner capsule appeared to be in good shape, officials said.
While waiting in space, Williams conducts scientific experiments, exercises several hours a day and provides educational content for schoolchildren.
The problems raised concerns among one NASA contractor, who urged the U.S. space agency to “redouble safety checks and reexamine safety protocols to ensure Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens.”
Starliner has found five flaws in its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of helium gas meant to pressurize those thrusters and a slow-moving thruster valve that indicated past unfixed problems since launch.
When Starliner came close to the space station for docking on June 6, five thruster failures prevented the spacecraft from making a close approach until Boeing came up with a fix.
Over the past few weeks, Boeing has been conducting thruster tests on the ground and in space to understand why five boosters failed before Starliner’s arrival at the space station.
All but one of them were operational again. Helium leaks were also detected in the capsule’s propulsion system.