After Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, NASA was faced with two options.
They could risk sending Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore home on Starliner (which could cost them their lives) or leave them there until they can catch a ride on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
Ultimately, NASA decided the risk of a fatal accident was too high to bring astronauts home on Starliner, meaning Williams and Wilmore will remain on the ISS until February 2025.
“I don’t think that’s terribly surprising given the experience of the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003, when they had a known problem and they didn’t address it with obviously tragic results,” said space consultant Bill Harwood.
Stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will remain on the ISS for another six months after NASA decided risking a return flight on Starliner could cost them their lives.
That’s not far from what happened in 2003, when NASA’s space shuttle Columbia disintegrated in the atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board.
The incident could have been avoided, as it was caused by a large piece of foam falling from the shuttle’s external tank and piercing the spacecraft’s wing.
This technical problem had been known about for years and NASA came under scrutiny for not addressing it before it was too late.
This time, “NASA decided to play it safe,” Hardwood said.
But while Boeing officials cooperated with the decision, they did not necessarily agree with it.
‘For their part, Boeing engineers believe that the capsule is completely safe and could easily bring the crew home safely if necessary.’
‘NASA looked at all the same test data but decided, ‘We just don’t have enough certainty.’
The impact of this decision on NASA’s relationship with Boeing remains to be seen.
“NASA is counting on Boeing to help refine this spacecraft,” Harwood said.
Boeing says they will, but that remains to be determined.
Starliner launched on June 5 with the intention of docking at the ISS for eight days before returning Wilmore and Williams safely to Earth.
But before, during and after launch, the spacecraft was plagued by technical problems, including helium leaks and thruster failures.
Astronauts Williams and Wilmore made it safely to the ISS, but by the time they arrived, Starliner had suffered more helium leaks and five of its 18 thrusters had failed.
They’ve been stuck there ever since, waiting patiently as NASA and Boeing raced to figure out the best way to bring the astronauts home.
NASA decided not to bring Williams and Wilmore home on Starliner to avoid a tragic incident like the Columbia shuttle disaster, which killed seven astronauts in 2003.
At a press conference on August 24, NASA finally revealed its decision. Williams and Wilmore will remain in space for another six months while they wait for SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to take them back to Earth.
“Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our teams at NASA and Boeing for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions and focus on safety during crew flight testing,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.
NASA’s decision ultimately came down to the safety of the astronauts, Harwood told CBS News.
If Starliner were to experience further technical problems during the return flight, the spacecraft could burn up upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, incinerating the astronauts inside.
“There’s no way to prove that those problems won’t get worse after the spacecraft undocks, and of course they have to be able to fire their engines and deorbit to get back home,” Hardwood said.