NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew not "stranded" in space

The return to Earth of Boeing's Starliner capsule is connected indefinite hold pending results of caller thruster tests and ongoing study of helium leaks that cropped up during nan ship's rendezvous pinch nan International Space Station, NASA announced Friday.

But agency officials insisted Starliner commandant Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams are not "stranded" successful space.

A camera aboard nan International Space Station captured a spectacular position of Boeing's Starliner unit ferry vessel arsenic nan 2 spacecraft sailed complete North Africa, Egypt and nan Middle East earlier successful nan ongoing trial flight. The achromatic drum-shaped work module, wherever nan spacecraft's main propulsion strategy is housed, is attached to nan guidelines of nan grey cone-shaped unit capsule. NASA

"We don't person a targeted (landing) day today," Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, told reporters during a teleconference. "We're not going to target a circumstantial day until we get that testing completed.

"So essentially, it's complete nan testing, complete nan responsibility tree, bring that study into (the ngo guidance team), and past person an agency-level review. And past we'll laic retired nan remainder of nan scheme from undock to landing. I deliberation we're connected a bully path."

The problem for NASA and Boeing is that nan Starliner's work module, which houses nan helium lines, thrusters and different captious systems, is discarded earlier re-entry and burns up successful nan atmosphere.

Engineers will not beryllium capable to study nan hardware aft nan fact, and arsenic a result, they want to cod arsenic overmuch information arsenic imaginable earlier Wilmore and Williams caput home.

But nan crew's many times extended enactment astatine nan abstraction position arsenic that study has continued has prompted immoderate observers to opportunity Wilmore and Williams are stranded successful orbit, an belief that seems to person taken guidelines successful nan absence of updates from NASA arsenic nan target landing day was many times pushed back.

Stich and Mark Nappi, Boeing's Starliner programme manager, said that explanation is simply a mischaracterization.

"It's beautiful achy to publication nan things that are retired there," Nappi said. "We've gotten a really bully trial flight...and it's being viewed alternatively negatively. We're not stuck connected ISS. The unit is not successful immoderate danger, and there's nary accrued consequence erstwhile we determine to bring Suni and Butch backmost to Earth."

Stich added that he wants "to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded successful space. Our scheme is to proceed to return them connected Starliner and return them location astatine nan correct time. We'll person a small spot much activity to do to get location for nan last return, but they're safe connected abstraction station. Their spacecraft is moving well, and they're enjoying their clip connected nan abstraction station."

The Starliner was launched June 5 connected nan program's first piloted trial formation pinch 1 already known helium leak. The different 4 developed during nan ship's rendezvous pinch nan abstraction position erstwhile nan jets were quickly pulsed to good tune nan Starliner's approach.

Another changeable of nan Starliner's work module arsenic nan spacecraft was lifted for attachment to its Atlas 5 launcher. United Launch Alliance

While docked astatine nan station, valves are closed to isolate nan helium system, eliminating immoderate further leakage. But erstwhile Wilmore and Williams depart and caput for home, nan valves will beryllium re-opened to repressurize nan lines, aliases manifolds.

Stich said that moreover pinch nan known leaks, nan spacecraft will person 10 times nan magnitude of helium it needs to get home, but engineers want to make judge nan leaks won't get worse erstwhile nan strategy is again pressurized.

The 5 aft-facing thrusters successful nan Starliner's work module besides grounded to run arsenic expected during attack to nan abstraction position connected June 6.

After docking, 4 of nan 5 jets were successfully trial fired and contempt somewhat little powerfulness levels than expected, they are considered bully to spell for undocking and re-entry. The 5th thruster was not "hot fired" because it's earlier capacity indicated it had really failed.

But managers want to find retired what caused nan unexpected behaviour successful nan different four. Starting adjacent week, a caller thruster identical to nan ones aboard nan Starliner will beryllium trial fired astatine a authorities installation astatine White Sands, New Mexico, precisely for illustration nan those successful orbit were fired during nan Starliner's rendezvous and docking.

"We'll recreate that profile," Stich said. "Then we'll put a beautiful fierce floor plan successful nan thruster for (the undocking-to-re-entry) phase."

Starliner co-pilot Sunita Williams, left, and commandant Barry "Butch" Wilmore greeted reporters and posed for photos soon aft arriving astatine nan Kennedy Space Center for their first motorboat attempt. NASA

It's imaginable nan glitches pinch nan aft-facing thrusters were caused by higher-than-normal temperatures owed to nan Starliner's predisposition pinch respect to nan sun, aliases nan series of rapid, repetitive firings commanded by nan formation software. Or both.

The crushed tests, expected to past "a mates of weeks," whitethorn supply grounds 1 measurement aliases nan other.

"This will beryllium a existent opportunity to analyse a thruster conscionable for illustration we've had successful abstraction connected nan ground, a elaborate inspection," Stich said. "Once that testing is done, past we'll look astatine nan scheme for landing."

As for nan belief nan unit is stranded successful space, Stich and Nappi some pointed retired that connected Wednesday, a defunct Russian outer successful a somewhat lower, much tilted orbit than nan abstraction position suffered a catastrophic "event" that produced much than 100 pieces of trackable debris.

While formation controllers evaluated nan trajectories of nan wreckage, nan abstraction station's nine-member unit was told to "shelter successful place" aboard their respective spacecraft, fresh to instantly depart and return to Earth successful lawsuit of a damaging impact.

Two Russian cosmonauts and NASA's Tracy Dyson boarded their Soyuz ferry ship, while 3 NASA astronauts and different cosmonaut floated into their SpaceX Crew Dragon. Wilmore and Williams rode retired safe haven wrong nan Starliner and were cleared to alert location if warranted.

After astir 1 hour, nan unit was fixed nan each clear to return to normal work. Had nan Starliner had been considered unsafe, Wilmore and Williams apt would person been told to activity refuge successful nan Crew Dragon. But that was not nan case.

"We person an support to beryllium a lifeboat successful lawsuit of an emergency connected ISS," Nappi said. "That intends we tin return pinch nan Starliner astatine immoderate time, and that was proven this week."

In:
• Spacewalk
• International Space Station
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