Boeing’s Starliner astronauts put ‘trust’ in decision makers before return to Earth
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spoke with media for the first time since arriving at the International Space Station on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner last month as they await more tests on the vehicle that suffered thruster and leak issues after launch.
NASA and Boeing teams continue to re-create the issues on the ground before giving the duo the OK to leave the station and return to Earth.
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“This is the world of test,” Wilmore said. “This is a tough business that we’re in. Human spaceflight is not easy in any regime, and there have been multiple issues with every spacecraft that has ever been designed.”
The pair launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station back on June 5 arriving to the ISS a day later for what was originally planned to be about an eight-day stay on board. They have now been on board 34 days.
Starliner is making its first crewed flight as part of Boeing’s efforts to join SpaceX and its Crew Dragon spacecraft to help transport astronauts to and from the ISS as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Before launch, teams already had been tracking a small helium leak in the propulsion module, and more leaks appeared after launch on the way to the station. That’s also when Starliner suffered thruster issues forcing a delay in docking.
“We did have some failures, as we’re all aware,” Wilmore said. “We had lost (a reaction control system) jet, and then we lost another one. And then you could tell the thrust control, the capability was degraded. And the qualities were not the same. But thankfully, we had practiced and we had gotten certified for manual control. And so we took over manual control.”
Teams were able to get all but one of the thrusters back online, and after Starliner docked, the helium leaks were blocked off, so the spacecraft has been safely attached to the ISS since. NASA and Boeing also signed off on Starliner’s use in the event astronauts needed to make and emergency departure from the ISS.
But the regular departure is on hold while teams continue to pore over data related to the propulsion module problems.
“We’re taking our time on the ground to go through all the data that we have before we decide on the return opportunity,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich in a followup press conference. “We’re taking time to build confidence in the spacecraft to understand the thruster performance — those aft thrusters that failed off during docking, and also totally understand the helium margins before we undock.”
Nothing in testing, though, has suggested anything other than bringing the pair back home on Starliner even as ground testing continues.
“We do have a lot of confidence in the thrusters as they are today,” Nappi said. “With the extra time, though, let’s go run this test.”
No date yet has been set for that return, although the next SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the station to replace the one already docked is scheduled for mid-August next month.
