NASA Faces Difficult Decision on Fate of Stranded Starliner Astronauts

NASA is grappling with a complex situation as two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, remain stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to persistent technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. 

The astronauts, who were supposed to return to Earth after an eight-day mission in June, have now been in orbit for over two months, and NASA is facing a critical decision on how to bring them home safely.

Starliner’s Ongoing Troubles

The Starliner spacecraft has been plagued by a series of problems since its launch on June 5th. Shortly after takeoff, five of the spacecraft’s thrusters began malfunctioning, and the supply of gaseous helium that keeps the thrusters pressurized sprang five leaks. 

While the crew made it to the ISS safely, the eight-day mission has now stretched to over two months as Boeing and NASA work to troubleshoot the issues and determine if the Starliner is safe to carry Wilmore and Williams back to Earth.

NASA’s Options

NASA is currently considering several options to bring the astronauts home. One possibility is to keep Wilmore and Williams on the ISS until early 2025, when they could catch a ride back to Earth on SpaceX’s next flight in February. 

This would involve sending the Starliner back to Earth empty and bumping two of the four astronauts assigned to the next SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, targeted for late September.

Another option is to continue troubleshooting the Starliner’s issues and hope to return the astronauts aboard the spacecraft. 

However, NASA officials have expressed growing concerns about the viability of this plan, with Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, stating, “It’s becoming increasingly challenging. By the last week of August, we really should be making a decision, if not earlier.”

Challenges and Risks

NASA faces several challenges in making this decision. One key factor is the limited reusability of the Starliner’s service module, which houses the faulty thrusters. 

This module is jettisoned before reentry and burns up in the atmosphere, making it impossible to conduct any engineering forensics after the spacecraft returns. 

NASA is thus trying to learn as much as possible from telemetry and data monitoring before the service module is lost forever.

Another concern is the risk to the astronauts’ health and safety if they remain in space for an extended period. While the ISS is well-equipped to support long-duration missions, prolonged exposure to microgravity can have negative effects on the human body, such as muscle atrophy and bone loss.

Institutional Changes and Risk Aversion

NASA’s decision-making process has been influenced by the agency’s increased risk aversion following the losses of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia in the 1980s and 2000s. The twin disasters led to institutional changes designed to encourage mission managers to raise concerns well in advance of such tragedies.

As a result, NASA is taking a more cautious approach to the Starliner situation, even if it means the astronauts may have to remain in space for longer than initially planned. Joe Acaba, NASA’s chief astronaut, emphasized that the agency is not considering a spacewalk to assess the thrusters, as the hardware cannot be recovered after reentry.

Conclusion

NASA’s grappling with the fate of the stranded Starliner astronauts highlights the complexities and risks inherent in human spaceflight. 

As the agency weighs its options, it must balance the safety and well-being of the astronauts with the need to maintain the viability of the Starliner program and ensure the continued success of the ISS mission. 

The decision, expected by the end of August, will have significant implications for the future of NASA’s commercial crew program and the agency’s ability to provide reliable and redundant access to the ISS.