Stastranded NASA astronauts say being stuck in space is just part of the job: a call on the Boeing Starliner
The NASA astronauts who were left stranded on the International Space Station because of technical issues with their spacecraft are keeping in good spirits — even planning to vote in November — the pair revealed in a space to Earth call with the media on Friday.
“We are pushing the edges of the envelope in everything that we do. The mission commander said that it wasn’t easy. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but that’s not why we do it. Maybe we do it because it’s hard.”
Their extended stay in space was caused by technical issues with their ship, the Boeing Starliner, during what was initially supposed to be a final test flight before the Starliner would be certified by NASA for regular use in missions.
After deeming it potentially unsafe to have Williams and Wilmore return aboard the Boeing spacecraft, the Starliner made its way back to Earth unmanned, where it landed safely in the New Mexico desert last week.
The problem with the Boeing Starliner is the latest in a series of PR blows to the aerospace juggernaut, which in addition to spacecraft also produces commercial airplanes.
Boeing’s 737 MAX has faced safety concerns after two crashes left hundreds of passengers dead, and Boeing has struggled to repair the public perception of their company as being lax on air safety.
Source: Stranded NASA astronauts say being stuck in space is just part of the job
The Space Flight Veterans of the International Space Station. She said, “It’s a pleasure to be here, but I’m afraid you can’t do that”
He said that the shirt was a representation of something that he stood for as an agency. We go beyond the call of duty. The things we do are out of the ordinary. We send humans to space.”
Both space flight veterans enjoyed the time that they were able to do as part of the crew, and they were both missing their families and friends during missions.
The astronauts will miss Election Day on Earth in November, but that won’t keep them from participating. Williams said that they’re looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool.
They were not upset that they were aboard the International Space Station longer. Williams said space was his happy place, because he could do things upside down or sideways, whichadded a little different perspective.
Williams, who is about to become the Commander of the International Space Station, said that it was not difficult because she and Wilmore had been working on going to the space station for years. She said their later return in a SpaceX Dragon capsule at the conclusion of NASA’s Crew-9 mission is a unique opportunity for the two test pilots, adding, “We’re excited to fly in two different spacecraft; I mean, we’re testers, that’s what we do.”
NASA decided not to fly the craft back with the two aboard after finding thruster issues and helium leaks in Starliner. But Wilmore said that with more time, “we could have gotten to the point, I believe, where we could have returned on Starliner. But we just simply ran out of time.” Instead, the two have become part of the ISS crew.
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“This operation is not easy. NASA does a great job — the people at Nasa do a great job — of making a lot of things look easy. Sending probes beyond the edge of our solar system; going in [and] getting samples from asteroids; humans in space. It’s a very risky business and things do not always turn out the way you want.”