Two American astronauts could remain on the International Space Station (ISS) until February if the spacecraft carrying them cannot be repaired to bring them home safely.
The US space agency NASA announced last week that it had not yet made any plans for the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The two have been on board the ISS since June 6.
The American astronauts were only supposed to stay in space for a week. But technical problems with the Starliner spacecraft built by Boeing have so far prevented a return.
The trip with Wilmore and Williams was a test flight for the Starliner, during which the spacecraft successfully carried astronauts into space for the first time.
NASA is looking for a solution
NASA officials held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the current situation with Starliner and the astronauts on the ISS. They said the agency continues to work with Boeing to find a solution to the spacecraft’s technical difficulties. The investigations focused on helium leaks and Engine Problems with Starliner.
However, if these issues cannot be resolved in the coming weeks, NASA said it may decide to return the astronauts to Earth using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. NASA has been using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft since 2020 to regularly transport astronauts and supplies to the ISS.
If NASA decides to use Crew Dragon, two of the four seats will remain free on the spacecraft’s next scheduled launch to the ISS at the end of September. Wilmore and Williams would then return to Earth with Crew Dragon.
NASA officials told reporters they have brought in additional experts to investigate the Starliner’s leak problems and engine failures, while the space agency is taking a closer look at SpaceX as a backup solution to bring the astronauts home.
The agency’s space mission director, Ken Bowersox, said NASA currently thinks “we could go either way.” He added that at a recent meeting, “a lot of people expressed concerns and the decision was not clear.” NASA said a final decision should be made by mid-August.
Boeing representatives did not attend the press conference, but the company issued a brief statement on Wednesday reiterating its position that Starliner could still be repaired to safely transport astronauts. “We continue to believe in Starliner’s capabilities and its ability to fly. Reason”, Boeing said.
The Boeing statement said that if NASA decides to change the Starliner’s mission, the company will “take the necessary actions to configure Starliner for an unmanned return.”
Steve Stich is NASA’s commercial crew program manager. He said the agency is not seriously considering launching a separate SpaceX flight to pick up Wilmore and Williams.
Problems with the engine seals
Officials say tests by Boeing and NASA on Earth have reproduced the Starliner’s engine problems, alerting engineers to a possible problem with the engine’s seals. However, Stich noted that it is not clear what is causing the sealing problems.
The engines are important for Starliner to be able to move away from the ISS during its separation operations. At the same time, engineers are looking for the cause of helium leaks in the spacecraft. drive The first leak occurred before takeoff, but others occurred during the flight.
Boeing has faced repeated delays as the company struggles to complete NASA’s flight testing process before it can receive approval to begin official flights to the ISS.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reporting from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and NASA.
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Words in this story
Engine – N. an engine that generates propulsion by releasing a jet of liquid or a stream of particles
Reason – N. a group of reasons for a particular decision or belief
configure – V. to arrange something or to put its parts together in a particular shape or pattern
drive – N. a force that drives something forward
