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American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunny Williams arrived at the International Space Station on June 6 on the Starliner, but due to problems such as spacecraft thruster failure and helium leakage, their return flight, originally scheduled for June 14, had to be postponed again and again.The two have now spent more than 50 days in space.On July 25, NASA officials said it was still uncertain when the two astronauts would be able to return to Earth.

Steve Stick, head of NASA's commercial manned program, said that because engineers have not yet solved the problem of the spacecraft failure, the "Starliner"The project leader is still unable to determine the return date for the two astronauts.. Stick said NASAStill hope that the two will return to Earth on the "interstellar passenger plane"However, Stick admitted that NASA alsoConsidering alternative options, such as returning on the Dragon spacecraft of the US Space Exploration Technology Company.

Steve Stick said the team is systematically reviewing the processing data

Steve Stick, head of NASA's Commercial Crew Program:The joint Boeing and NASA teams are making progress, working side by side every day. We are systematically reviewing and processing the data, and when we are ready, the astronauts can come home.

The picture shows the "Starliner" data map

NASA previously announced thatThe Starliner can dock at the space station for up to 45 days, which means it will dock until July 21. However, in special circumstances, it can be extended to 90 days with the help of backup systems.。

The picture shows NASA related data

When the Starliner tried to dock with the International Space Station for the first time, some of its thrusters failed. The spacecraft also had helium leaks several times during its mission. A team of ground engineers conducted a series of ground inspections and tests on the Starliner's thruster technology at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, USA. Test results showed that heat accumulated in the thrusters during flight may have caused the sealing coating to expand, limiting the delivery of thruster fuel and causing helium leaks. Mark Nappi, a Boeing official, said that astronauts will launch the Starliner docked at the International Space Station for testing this weekend.

Steve Stick says Starliner faces extremely complex problems

Steve Stick, head of NASA's Commercial Crew Program:This is an extremely complex problem, with the helium leak intertwined with the thruster problem and how the guidance, navigation and control systems of the spacecraft will work during the deorbit burn. What we need to do before the flight readiness assessment is to make sure everyone understands this.

Further reading

Two American astronauts cannot return to Earth, but NASA and Boeing are engaged in a "public opinion war"

The two American astronauts who were on Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft were trapped in the International Space Station, which has become a global laughing stock. Ironically, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Boeing did not rush to find a way to get them back, but instead rushed to start a public opinion war, trying to change the outside world's doubts - "American astronauts are not trapped", and even compared this incident with the thrilling experience of the Apollo 13 manned spacecraft, taking the opportunity to promote the strength of American spaceflight...

Isn’t this exactly “treating a funeral as a celebration”?

The picture shows the "Starliner" spacecraft of Boeing Company in the United States

The Starliner has been in space for so long that its background has long been known by the media of various countries. As the national team that NASA had high hopes for, Boeing originally expected the Starliner to become the main means of transportation to replace the space shuttle and maintain the United States' travel to and from the International Space Station. But everyone knows the result. The manned Dragon spacecraft of the US SpaceX company suddenly emerged and became the main manned spacecraft of NASA, while the Starliner spacecraft was seriously behind schedule due to a series of catastrophic accidents.

It was in this context that the Starliner spacecraft began its first manned flight. In fact, from the subsequent statement of Steve Stich, manager of NASA's commercial manned space program, it can be seen that the Starliner spacecraft took off with illness. In the second unmanned flight test in May 2022, the Starliner spacecraft successively exposed many software problems and some aircraft thruster failures. Before this launch, the spacecraft was delayed due to a helium leak. Stich admitted at a press conference on June 6 that engineers may not have completely solved the problem. "I think we overlooked some basic phenomena happening inside the thruster."

Screenshot of the Starliner launching

The result of working with the problem is that the Starliner spacecraft had five helium leaks during its flight to the International Space Station, four of which occurred during the docking of the spacecraft with the space station; in addition, the spacecraft's five backward thrusters failed to operate as expected when approaching the space station. NASA and Boeing admitted that ground engineers still don't understand what caused these failures.

Obviously, the Starliner, which has air leaks and thruster failures, is not suitable for manned flight. NASA and Boeing are well aware of this and have repeatedly postponed the return of the spacecraft. According to the original plan, the spacecraft was only supposed to stay on the International Space Station for 8 days, but now that three weeks have passed, the return time given by NASA officials has become "uncertain." Daniel Dunbach, CEO of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also said: "We are not in a hurry to go home."

Starliner in space

But at a press conference on June 28, NASA and Boeing tried hard to instill a "concept" into the American media - "American astronauts are not trapped." The reason they did not come back was because the American aerospace craftsmanship spirit broke out, and they must find out what went wrong with the spacecraft in space.

According to them, the failed thrusters and helium pipelines are located in the service module of the spacecraft. According to the design, when the spacecraft re-enters the atmosphere, the service module will be abandoned and burned. At that time, engineers will not be able to determine the specific cause of the failure, so they must wait until the spacecraft docks at the International Space Station to find out the problem. There are also reports that mentioned the thrilling experience of NASA working closely with astronauts to return the Apollo 13 manned spacecraft to Earth safely after it exploded in space, and compared the space trip of the "Starliner" spacecraft with it.

But in the eyes of the old driver, if the accidental explosion of Apollo 13 was somewhat of a natural disaster, then this time the "Starliner" spacecraft was simply a man-made disaster. In fact, from the statements of NASA and Boeing, we can also see their carelessness about the safety of astronauts - for example, regarding the helium leak, Stitch said that even if there is a known leak, the amount of helium stored in the spacecraft is 10 times that required to return to Earth, so "there is no need to worry too much." He also said earlier that the biggest problem with the "Starliner" staying in space for a long time is that the battery life is 45 days. If it is to stay for 90 days, it is necessary to find a way to extend its use time. But his latest statement changed again, saying that the spacecraft has been kept charged when docked at the space station, so the battery's operating status after 90 days should not be affected.

These important technical details related to spacecraft safety are so casually mentioned by NASA officials...

The picture shows the "Starliner". The biggest problem with its long stay in space is the battery life of 45 days.

In fact, if we really want to ensure the safety of the astronauts, the most reliable way is to let the spacecraft return to Earth on its own after the inspection. After all, its main test items have been basically completed. In this way, if there are any problems during the return journey, at least it will not affect the personal safety of the two astronauts. As for what to do with the two astronauts, it is actually very simple. There is another manned Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Theoretically, the latter can carry 7 astronauts, but it currently only carries 4 people. Therefore, there is enough space to accommodate the two astronauts on the Starliner.

But so far, Boeing has not made any move - the reason behind this is simple. According to the agreement signed by Boeing and NASA, the "Starliner" spacecraft needs to complete six space shuttle missions before the International Space Station is retired, and all additional costs incurred during this period need to be borne by Boeing. Due to serious delays and a series of failures in the progress of the "Starliner" spacecraft, Boeing has lost more than $1 billion. If the two astronauts on the "Starliner" spacecraft return on the manned "Dragon" spacecraft instead, it will not only be a fatal blow to the shaky "Boeing manufacturing" reputation, but also this huge manned flight will not cost all the money?