Lately, Boeing has been under fire for their lacking quality assurance; which has gotten them in a mess of legal trouble. To add to this, issues with the Starliner shuttle have caused astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams unable to leave the International Space Station (ISS).
Corio Alerding (12) said, “If I were stuck in space for months, I guess my reaction would depend on who’s up there with me. I don’t think I could handle the vastness of space on my own.”
The mission was originally intended to test the Starliner for crewed spaceflight.
Previously, the Starliner had completed an unmanned orbit and docking procedure with the ISS. There was a test dummy in the cockpit, with several sensors to gauge how the internal environment of the shuttle was holding up.
The shuttle completed all of its objectives for the flight, demonstrating the capabilities of the vessel.
At the time, the Starliner was considered a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon. Today, it’s seen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a backup shuttle.
In this most recent flight, the Starliner ran into far more debilitating issues than before. First, it sprung several helium leaks, one occurring before it launched. However, it was considered minor enough not to impact the flight.
During the docking process, a far more concerning issue arose.
Television broadcasting company, NBC, said, “Five of the 28 thrusters were not operating but after troubleshooting, Boeing recovered four of Starliner’s malfunctioning jets.”
They managed to fix 4 of the 5 thrusters, and the crew was able to dock with the ISS.
Afterward, NASA performed some tests on the shuttle to make sure it was safe for a return flight.
While it was cleared for an emergency return, NASA and Boeing said, “They want to take more time to understand the root cause [of the issues.]”
On August 24, it was announced that the crew of the Starliner would be returning to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon.
It was stated by NASA that the crew will return no later than February of 2025, which has turned what was going to be an 8-day mission into one that will have lasted almost 8 months.
This extended stay has posed concerns about the astronauts’ health; bone deterioration and muscle atrophy are serious concerns in zero gravity, since the body doesn’t need to deal with the Earth’s gravitational influence. However, there are exercise machines to help slow the progression of these problems.
Overall, this seems like an unfortunate issue that NASA has found the best solution for. Hopefully, the astronauts will return safely and with minimal health issues.
