AMP
Home Astronomy NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting...

NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule

0
NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule


This photograph supplied by NASA reveals the Starliner spacecraft docked to the Concord module of the Worldwide Area Station, orbiting 262 miles above Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, on June 13, 2024. Credit score: NASA through AP

Two NASA astronauts will keep longer on the Worldwide Area Station as engineers troubleshoot issues on Boeing’s new space capsule that cropped up on the journey there.

NASA on Friday didn’t set a return date till testing on the bottom was full and stated the astronauts have been secure.

“We’re not in any rush to return house,” stated NASA’s industrial crew program supervisor Steve Stich.

Veteran NASA check pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the orbiting laboratory on June 5. It was the primary astronaut launch for Boeing after years of delays and setbacks.

The test flight was anticipated to final every week or so, sufficient time for Wilmore and Williams to take a look at the capsule whereas docked on the station. However problems with the capsule’s propulsion system, used to maneuver the spacecraft, prompted NASA and Boeing to delay the flight house a number of occasions whereas they analyzed the difficulty.

Additionally they wished to keep away from conflicting with spacewalks by station astronauts. However a spacewalk this week was canceled after water leaked from an astronaut’s spacesuit. The problem hasn’t been resolved and the deliberate spacewalk subsequent week was postponed.

As Starliner closed in on the space station a day after launch, last-minute thruster failures virtually derailed the docking. 5 of the capsule’s 28 thrusters went down throughout docking; all however one thruster was restarted.

On this photograph supplied by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Check astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, middle, pose with Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Mike Barratt, left, and Tracy Dyson, each NASA astronauts, of their spacesuits aboard the Worldwide Area Station’s Quest airlock on June 24, 2024. Credit score: NASA through AP

Starliner already had one small helium leak when it rocketed into orbit and a number of other extra leaks sprung up through the flight. Helium is used to pressurize gas for the thrusters. Boeing stated this week that the 2 issues aren’t a priority for the return journey.

In delaying the astronauts’ return, NASA and Boeing stated they wanted extra time to gather details about the thruster bother and leaks whereas the capsule was docked. Each are within the service module, a unit connected to the capsule that burns up throughout reentry.

NASA initially stated the Starliner may keep docked on the space station for as much as 45 days on account of battery limits. However in-flight assessments have proven that restrict will be prolonged, Stich stated.

Officers stated they will not set a return date whereas they do floor assessments of capsule thrusters within the New Mexico desert, which have been anticipated to final a few weeks. They wish to attempt to replicate the state of affairs that occurred throughout docking.

“I wish to make it very clear that Butch and Suni will not be stranded in space,” stated Stich, including that Starliner is designed for a mission of as much as 210 days.

On this photograph supplied by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Check astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait contained in the vestibule between the ahead port on the Worldwide Area Station’s Concord module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. Credit score: NASA through AP

Stich stated the astronauts may return to Earth in Starliner within the case of a space station emergency.

After the space shuttle fleet retired, NASA turned over astronaut rides to non-public corporations. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made 9 taxi flights for NASA since 2020. NASA plans to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing in ferrying crews to and from the space station.

© 2024 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.

Quotation:
NASA astronauts will keep on the space station longer for extra troubleshooting of Boeing capsule (2024, June 29)
retrieved 29 June 2024
from https://phys.org/information/2024-06-nasa-astronauts-stay-space-station.html

This doc is topic to copyright. Other than any truthful dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for info functions solely.





Source link

NO COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Exit mobile version