🚀 Space drama alert! NASA is in a tough spot deciding how to bring home astronauts Barry \"Butch\" Wilmore and Sunita \"Suni\" Williams from the International Space Station (ISS). Will they hitch a ride back on Boeing's Starliner, or will they need to call up Elon Musk's SpaceX for a lift?
Originally, Wilmore and Williams blasted off to the ISS on June 5 aboard the Starliner for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. But, like any good space adventure, things didn't go exactly as planned. Thruster malfunctions on the Starliner have delayed their return, turning their short trip into an extended stay aboard the ISS. 🛰️
NASA officials are crunching the data to figure out if Starliner can safely bring the astronauts home. Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations, said a decision needs to be made by the end of August. \"We're reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner,\" he said.
In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams are making the best of their unexpected extended stay. \"They're doing great,\" said NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba. \"As professional astronauts, they're prepared for this and they're making the best of it.\"
If Starliner isn't cleared for the return trip, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule might step in. This could mean launching the Crew-9 mission with two fewer astronauts in September and bringing Wilmore and Williams back to Earth in February 2025. Talk about a plot twist! 😮
This situation is a bit of an \"uh-oh\" moment for Boeing. SpaceX has been successfully ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020, while Boeing's Starliner is still ironing out the kinks. The rivalry between these two space giants just got a whole lot more interesting.
Whether they return in Starliner or Dragon, one thing's for sure: Wilmore and Williams are in for an adventure they'll never forget. And we're all here, popcorn in hand, watching the drama unfold. 🍿
Reference(s):
NASA to decide Starliner astronauts' return route by month end
cgtn.com
