NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have announced they rejected a rescue plan for Boeing’s Starliner due to “time constraints.”
The couple has stuck on the International Space Station since Starliner brought them there on June 6th.
Although Starliner returned to Earth without a crew on September 7, the duo are still awaiting SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which will pick them up at the ISS and return them home no later than February 2025.
Consideration was given to sending the astronauts back on the Starliner, but NASA ultimately decided that there were significant risks involved and that doing so could result in their deaths.
Wilmore said during a recent press conference that they did not have enough time to fully test the spacecraft’s systems and make a decision about reentry.
NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have revealed they rejected a rescue plan for Boeing’s Starliner due to ‘lack of time’
The father of two explained that they were unable to complete the tests of the Starliner’s onboard systems in time. They wanted to avoid disrupting the ISS’s schedule due to other spacecraft arriving in the coming months.
“There were things we just couldn’t get comfortable with. The dates could have been there. We just ran out of time,” he said.
Wilmore acknowledged the series of setbacks, saying there had been “some tough times” since their mission began, and it was difficult to see Starliner come home without them.
Their extended stay has also proven challenging for their families on Earth. Wilmore and his wife have two daughters, one in her senior year of high school and one in college.
A complete timeline of Boeing’s Starliner program, from the singing of their giant contact to the incident that left two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS.
During a recent press conference, Wilmore said they no longer had time to fully test the spacecraft’s systems to make a decision on how to return to Earth.
Wilmore said the delayed return mission means he will miss most of his youngest daughter’s senior year and he was unable to spend the summer with his oldest daughter before she returned to college.
But he hopes his absence will make them stronger. “They’re going to learn from this and they’re going to grow from this,” he said.
Sunita left her husband and two dogs at home when Starliner left over three months ago.
She said she misses walking her dog in the morning and hearing the sounds of the day beginning on Earth, like birds chirping.
But when you can look out the ISS window at your home planet, “you transport yourself to another place. It’s very peaceful here,” she said.
Starliner launched on June 5 with the intention of docking with the ISS for about a week, after which Wilmore and Williams would return safely to Earth.
The father of two explained that they were unable to complete testing of the Starliner’s onboard systems in time to avoid disrupting the ISS’s schedule for other spacecraft arriving in the coming months.
Williams and Wilmore will remain on the ISS for another six months after NASA decided that risking a return flight on the Starliner could cost their lives
But the mission got off to a rocky start. In the weeks leading up to it, the launch was postponed several times due to technical problems with the spacecraft.
Even on the day of launch, Starliner experienced small helium leaks, but engineers said they were not serious enough to delay the launch again.
From there it was all downhill. By the time Starliner reached the ISS, there were more helium leaks and five of the 18 thrusters had failed.
Williams said she and Wilmore previously served in the Navy and are therefore familiar with these types of last-minute logistical changes.
“We are not surprised if the stakes change,” she said, adding that their families understand that.
“It’s risky, and that’s just the way it is in this business,” she said.
