NASA Plans: NASA, one of the world’s largest space agencies, is currently facing a very challenging situation related to its spacecraft Boeing Starliner. This spacecraft carried two astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6. This spacecraft was supposed to return to Earth in about a week, but due to technical fault, Boeing Starliner could not return.
Two astronauts stranded in space
Due to this, Indian-origin American scientists Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded in the ISS for the last two months. Now NASA is not only fixing the Boeing Starliner but is also in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX so that the two astronauts stranded in space can be brought back by that spacecraft next year i.e. 2025.
What was NASA’s first plan?
Boeing’s first attempt was to use the new Starliner capsule i.e. Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) to bring both the astronauts, but as soon as the spacecraft docked with the ISS, many technical problems like thruster anomalies and helium leaks started occurring. Due to this, NASA had to think about new plans.
What is NASA’s new plan?
According to the latest report in this case, NASA announced on Wednesday that it is considering all possible options to ensure the safe return of Williams and Wilmore. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that the primary plan is to bring the astronauts back from Starliner, but alternative strategies are also being prepared.
Will Elon Musk’s SpaceX help?
A major option is to use SpaceX’s Crew 9 Mission, which is scheduled to launch on September 25, 2024. This mission was to launch in mid-August, but it has been delayed. Now this mission will be launched on September 25, carrying 4 crew members to the International Space Station. Stich said that NASA has coordinated with SpaceX to ensure readiness for this plan.
When will he return?
In this new strategy of NASA, SpaceX’s Crew 9 Dragon spacecraft will take only two crew members to the ISS instead of four crew members so that during its return in February 2025, it can bring back two other astronauts stranded in space with it to Earth. Under this strategy, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stranded in space will have to stay in space for about the next 6 months. However, even after considering this strategy, Stich said that this plan has not been finalized yet.
What is NASA’s main plan?
NASA’s main focus is on fixing the technical problems of the Boeing Starliner so that the astronauts can be brought back from their own original spacecraft. However, software reconfiguration is required on the Starliner, which is a big challenge. NASA is considering undocking the Starliner capsule without crew members, for which it is necessary to configure software parameters. In such a situation, it will now be very important to see which spacecraft will bring back the two astronauts stranded in space.
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