2024-07-27 09:03:21
It’s progressing…slowly. After weeks of testing determined to replicate the problems with Boeing’s Starliner, NASA and Boeing officials are not yet ready to announce a return date for the two astronauts piloting the plane on its daughter’s plane. However, engineers are beginning to understand the causes of the failures that affected the Starliner during its first journey: helium leaks and fuses that suddenly shut down on the way to the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronauts will return to Earth but probably not in the Starliner
Engineers recently conducted more than 1,000 mechanical tests to replicate the conditions encountered in flight. These tests recreated the thruster damage observed in orbit and discovered that heat generation in the thrusters could cause the Teflon seals to swell, thus restricting the flow of thrust. Despite this advance, officials have not yet confirmed that the Starliner will be used to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth.
At the same time, engineers made progress in understanding the helium leaks that prevented the first leg of the Starliner’s journey. Additional tests of the ship’s listeners, while still with the ISS, are planned this weekend to better understand what’s going on. These tests are aimed at checking whether the leaks have worsened since the Starliner docked with the ISS.
Already 50 days in space
Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams, who arrived at the ISS on June 6 for an eight-day mission, have spent about 50 days in space. Although they are hopeful and busy with their scientific and therapeutic activities, their return will depend on the results of ongoing tests and trials.
NASA and Boeing hope for a review of the Starliner mission as early as next week, but the astronauts will remain in place until all safety measures are confirmed.
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