Two Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are still orbiting the earth aboard the International Space Station, nearly two weeks past their scheduled return date.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which faced numerous postponements prior to its launch on June 5, encountered thruster problems during its journey to the ISS.
Why are the astronauts still in space?
The delay is due to a series of helium leaks detected on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which transported them to the ISS on its inaugural crewed mission.
Boeing and Nasa engineers are diligently working to resolve the issue and ensure the safe return of the astronauts. According to Nasa, the spacecraft is “performing well in orbit while docked to the space station.”
Nasa said that astronauts Wilmore and Williams have the ability to undock from the space station and return to Earth whenever necessary they are not “stranded”, they are just being kept in orbit passed their planned return to “allow mission teams time to review propulsion system data.”
“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said in a statement reported by Newsweek.
“We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance,” he added.
Who is Sunita Williams?
Sunita Williams is an accomplished Nasa astronaut and a distinguished US Navy officer, and has been selected to serve as the co-pilot alongside Wilmore on the Starliner mission.
In 1987, Williams began her career as a junior commissioned officer in the Navy. Following a six-month assignment at the Naval Coastal System Command, she successfully completed her training and earned the designation of Basic Diving Officer.
What are the special achievements of Sunita Williams?
Sunita Williams became the first woman to pilot a test spacecraft on its maiden flight to space. Williams, an astronaut who previously held the record for the highest number of spacewalks completed by a woman.
She achieved a total of seven spacewalks throughout her career. In addition, Williams set another record by accumulating 50 hours and 40 minutes of spacewalk time, the most ever recorded by a female astronaut.
Williams has participated in multiple missions to the International Space Station (ISS), in 2012 she was named the commander of the space station, becoming only the second woman to do so.
How much time did Sunita Williams spend in space?
The 58-year-old has earlier spent 322 days in space, and held a record for maximum hours of spacewalk by a woman. This is her third space flight, others being in 2006 and 2012.
Sunita Williams during her India visit
In a candid talk, Sunita also shared her journey of becoming an astronaut. “I did not dream of becoming an astronaut. I loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian. I was a good swimmer, too, and my brother talked me into going to the Naval Academy. I was a helicopter pilot and until my mid-twenties didn’t realize that I could become an astronaut.”
Sunita’s voice filled up with emotion when she was asked about her close friend and colleague Kalpana Chawla. Her death in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster did not make Sunita nervous.
“We had trained a lot and I had confidence in the team that was rebuilding the system. I had to continue Kalpana’s dream,” she said.
What advice did Sunita Williams give to students?
Sunita’s passion for adventure and the outdoors finally got her thinking about a career as astronaut. As students listened in awe, she gave them a piece of advice. “Find something that you like doing and you will do it well. Put your mind to it.”
Who is Butch Wilmore?
Barry “Butch” Wilmore is an experienced Nasa astronaut and former US Navy test pilot. Nasa selected Wilmore aged 61, to join their astronaut program back in 2000.
Originally from Tennessee, Wilmore currently resides in Houston.
He has participated in two prior space missions, one of which involved piloting the Space Shuttle to the ISS in 2009, during the final stages of the shuttle program before its retirement.
How much time did Butch spend in space?
In 2000, Barry was picked to join Nasa’s astronaut corps. Over the course of his two prior space missions, he has spent a combined total of 167 days in orbit.
Original return date
The initial plan for Wilmore and Williams was to make their way back to Earth aboard the Starliner on June 22. However, this date was later postponed to June 26, and then pushed back on Friday to a date that has not yet been determined.
Mark Nappi, who serves as the vice president and program manager of the Commercial Crew Program for Boeing said that despite the setbacks, “Wilmore and Williams remain ‘overwhelmingly positive.”
The Starliner spacecraft has the capability to stay connected to the space station for a maximum duration of 45 days.