Boeing Starliner astronauts are 'stuck' aboard space station until February
Two American astronauts who piloted an ailing Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station will remain aboard until February, extending their stay from eight days to eight months – and they’ll come home in a SpaceX Dragon.
Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been on the space station for more than 80 days, far beyond their original mission to test the Starliner capsule.
The Starliner experienced thruster problems and helium leaks on the flight to the space station. NASA says it's too risky to use it for a crewed return flight. Instead, the Boeing craft capsule will land with no one aboard, the space agency announced on Aug. 24.
Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, could spend 240 to 267 days, or more, aboard the space station. That's a long time, but it won't break the record.
What's the record for consecutive days aboard the space station?
The two astronauts will continue working as members of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025, NASA says. They will return aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule, scheduled for liftoff on Sept. 24.
That capsule will launch with two astronauts instead of four, making room to bring home Williams and Wilmore in February.
In the meantime, Williams and Wilmore – who have been aboard the space station on previous missions – are assisting with research and station maintenance.
What went wrong with Starliner?
After technical delays, the two pilots launched aboard the Starliner crew capsule on June 5. It was the Starliner’s first crewed mission, known as Crew Flight Test, to test its flight and docking capabilities at the space station.
However, a helium leak developed that affected control of the capsule’s thrusters, used for docking and maneuvering.
Starliner docked at the space station on June 6 and remains there while engineers try to figure out when to bring it back to Earth by remote control. It will be moved away from its dock to allow the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule to dock.
NASA and Boeing say the Starliner astronauts aren't "stranded" on the space station. While their extended mission is unexpected, the space station has room and resources to accommodate the Starliner crew.
An uncrewed supply ship delivery included clothes and personal items for Williams and Wilmore. It arrived at the space station on Aug. 6.
Where do astronauts sleep – or camp out on – the space station?
The International Space Station has seven permanent Crew Quarters, sleeping spaces for astronauts. U.S. Crew Quarters, with two laptops, personal items and sleeping bags, are about 74 cubic feet, or a little larger than an old-time phone booth, astronauts say.
But there are other places at the space station where astronauts can sleep: extra space that's used during handovers, the short periods in which new crew members replace existing ones.
"When there are more astronauts aboard the station than crew quarters, crew members work with flight controllers to identify temporary “campout” locations for the crew to sleep during the short handover period," NASA says.
Those locations include the U.S. Quest Airlock, attached to Node 1, or the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo. There's also CASA, or Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation, in the European Columbus Module, the European Space Agency says.
Astronauts can even sleep in docked spacecraft, NASA says.
Sleeping locations and their current occupants:
- ◾ U.S. Harmony Module/Node 2: U.S. astronauts Tracy Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps.
- ◾ European Columbus Module: Williams.
- ◾ Japanese Experiment Module Kibo: Wilmore.
- ◾ Russian Zvezda Module/Service Module: Two Russian cosmonauts.
- ◾ Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module Nauka: One Russian cosmonaut.
While nine astronauts might seem like a lot, the space station hosted 13 in July 2009. That included the six space station crew members and seven astronauts on the Endeavor STS-127 mission, which delivered modules to the station.
How do you sleep on the space station?
The space station doesn't have conventional beds. Astronauts in microgravity rest in specially designed sleeping bags, which can be tied to walls.
The arrangement might look uncomfortable, says astronaut Chris Hadfield in this NASA/CSA video. But without gravity, "you can completely relax," he says.
Space station astronauts usually get eight hours of sleep per day. In addition to the scientific and maintenance work they do, crew members must physically exercise about two hours every day. This is to counteract the absence of Earth's gravity, which weakens muscles and bones.
What's docked at the space station besides Starliner?
Starliner problems started before launch
Starliner’s problems started before its June 5 launch.
The original launch date was May 6. That was delayed when a problem with an oxygen relief valve was found on the Atlas V rocket's Centaur Stage.
Engineers found a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module on May 21. That delayed the launch until June 1. However, a computer problem canceled that launch.
Starliner successfully launched on June 5. NASA later said two more helium leaks were discovered after Starliner separated from its Atlas V rocket and entered Earth orbit.
The craft loses five thrusters and delays docking at the space station. Engineers reset the thrusters and Starliner docked at the space station on June 6.
However, Starliner’s return, originally scheduled for June 13, was delayed three times as engineers continue to analyze its propulsion systems.
Contributing: Brooke Edwards, Florida Today; Eric Lagatta, Jonathan Limehouse, Paste BN
Source: Paste BN Network reporting and research; NASA; European Space Agency; Canadian Space Agency