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NASA Says It’s Too Risky To Bring Astronauts Home Before 2025
A pair of astronauts went into space for what was supposed to be a weeklong project, but now NASA says they can’t come home until next year.
Two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have been stuck in the International Space Station since early June. Several mechanical issues, including helium leaks and vexing thruster failers, have rendered their vehicle inoperable.
For the last three months experts and NASA employees have been trying to figure out a way to bring the astronauts home. Their decision, made Saturday, is to bring them home on a SpaceX capsule in February.
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Their Starliner space capsule, made by Boeing, will attempt to return to Earth in September, unmanned and on autopilot.
From FOX 8:
It was a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its airplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliner’s first crew trip to revive the troubled spacecraft program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground.
“We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return,” Boeing said in a statement on Saturday.
Both stranded astronauts are retired Navy captains. They each also have experience with long-duration space flights, and claim that their families are aware of the risks associated with their careers.
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