Boeing Astronauts Stuck in Space Until Early Next Year
A few weeks ago it was reported that two astronauts who were testing Boeing’s new Starliner had a malfunction with their spacecraft and became stranded at the international space station. Their mission was supposed to last just over a week, now it will be much, much longer.
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00:00A few weeks ago it was reported the two astronauts who were testing Boeing's new Starliner
00:08had a malfunction with their spacecraft and became stranded aboard the International Space
00:12Station.
00:13Their mission was supposed to last just over a week, now it will be much, much longer.
00:18In a recent statement released by NASA, they announced that Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams
00:22will remain aboard the ISS for another six months.
00:26The announcement confirms that a SpaceX mission that was already planned for launch will end
00:29up being their ticket home.
00:31The new Plan B mission would involve a bare-bones SpaceX Dragon crew ascending to the ISS.
00:36The Starliner crew will then return with them as an official part of their mission.
00:40That launch is set for February, meaning the Starliner's planned eight-day mission just
00:44turned into an eight-month stay in space.
00:47NASA says that this is the best bet to get the Boeing astronauts back to Earth safely
00:51while also not accepting more risk than necessary for its crew.
00:54The issue in the Starliner derived from a helium leak and thruster issues.
00:58According to NASA, if the astronauts tried to return in that spacecraft, they may not
01:02have adequate propulsive power to exit orbit and descend.