NASA still deciding whether to keep 2 astronauts at space station until next year

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA stated Wednesday it’s nonetheless deciding whether or not to maintain two astronauts on the Worldwide House Station till early subsequent yr and ship their troubled Boeing capsule again empty.

Relatively than flying Boeing’s Starliner again to Earth, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would catch a experience on SpaceX’s subsequent flight. That choice would maintain them on the area station till subsequent February.

The take a look at pilots anticipated being away only a week or so after they rocketed away as Starliner’s first crew. However thruster failures and helium leaks marred the capsule’s journey to the area station, elevating doubts about its means to return safely and leaving the astronauts in limbo.

NASA officers stated they’re analyzing extra knowledge earlier than making a choice by finish of subsequent week or starting of the following. These thrusters are essential for holding the capsule in the proper place when it comes time to descend from orbit.

“We’ve bought time accessible earlier than we carry Starliner dwelling and we need to use that point correctly,” stated Ken Bowersox, NASA’s area operations mission chief.

Switching to SpaceX would require bumping two of the 4 astronauts assigned to the following ferry flight, at the moment focused for late September. Wilmore and Williams would take the empty seats in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule as soon as that half-year mission ends.

One other complication: The area station has simply two parking locations for U.S. capsules. Boeing’s capsule must depart forward of the arrival of SpaceX’s Dragon so as to release a spot.

Boeing has stated Starliner might nonetheless safely carry the astronauts dwelling. The corporate earlier this month posted a listing of testing that has been carried out on the thrusters since liftoff.

NASA want to maintain SpaceX’s present crew up there till the replacements arrive, barring an emergency. These 4 ought to have returned to Earth this month, however noticed a seventh month added to their mission due to the uncertainty over Starliner, maintaining them up there till the tip of September. Most area station stays final six months, though some have gone a full yr.

Wilmore and Williams are retired Navy captains who spent months aboard the area station years in the past.

“They may do what we ask them to do. That’s their job as astronauts,” stated NAA chief astronaut Joe Acaba.

Desperate to have competing companies and backup choices, NASA employed SpaceX and Boeing to move astronauts to and from the area station after the shuttles retired in 2011.

SpaceX’s first astronaut flight was in 2020. Boeing suffered a lot bother on its preliminary take a look at flight and not using a crew in 2019 {that a} do-over was ordered. Then extra issues cropped up, costing the corporate greater than $1 billion to repair earlier than lastly flying astronauts.

___

The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group. The AP is solely accountable for all content material.