2024-09-01 22:49:33
washington: Indian-origin astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded in the Space Station (ISS) for more than two months. NASA has set the time for their return till February next year. In such a situation, she will remain in space for eight months. Kalpana Chawla’s death in space is also behind this decision of NASA. NASA chief Bill Nelson says that two accidents in space have influenced the decision to bring back the Boeing Starliner without astronauts. One case in this is the death of Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla and the other is the accident of 1986. In February 2003, Kalpana Chawla and six others died when their spacecraft Tucker burned while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Earlier in January 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded and all the crew were killed. Both these accidents have a deep impact on the minds of NASA officials. This impact has made them alert in Sunita’s case.
Decision taken after listening to engineers
NASA chief and astronaut Bill Nelson said the two accidents have greatly influenced the decision to bring back the Boeing Starliner without astronauts. He said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made mistakes then. The culture at NASA at that time was such that despite junior flight engineers warning of risks, no one listened to them. Today people are encouraged to speak their minds. In such a situation, when the engineers told about the risks in flying the spacecraft in the current situation, NASA decided to bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in SpaceX Crew Dragon in February 2025 instead of now. NASA officials said the decision to change the return spacecraft was made unanimously.
Nelson says that space flight is risky even when it is safe and routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. Our decision regarding Butch and Sunita is a result of our commitment to safety. NASA hopes that Sunita and her companions will return to Earth safely.