NASA postpones the return of stranded Starliner astronauts to March

NASA again Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams’ return to Earth postponed Astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after Boeing’s Starliner capsule malfunctioned In the middle of this year.

The spacecraft crew arrived at the International Space Station in June. The goal was to test the Starliner’s comprehensive capabilities, including its launch, docking and return systems. The mission was scheduled to last one week. Five of the capsule’s 28 thrusters failed to function before docking with the International Space Station. Boeing claimed that its technology could ensure the safe return of astronauts. However, NASA expressed doubts and concluded that the risk was very high. The entity entrusted with this task SpaceX.

Elon Musk’s company launched the Crew-9 mission in September, to bring back Williams and Wilmore, among other things. Until now, the astronauts were scheduled to park Back in February On board the Crew Dragon rocket. However, NASA announced that it expects the mission to return to the Earth’s surface after the arrival of Crew 10, which will be dispatched in late March 2025 at the earliest.

The modification will allow SpaceX and NASA engineers to finish developing the new Dragon spacecraft, which will be shipped to the company’s facility in Florida early next month.

“Manufacturing, assembly, testing and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” Steve Stich, director of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work of the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet to support our missions and the flexibility of the station program and mission crews as we work together to complete the flight readiness of the new capsule.”

NASA said Crew-9 and Crew-10 must complete a “handover period,” during which ISS residents share experiences and knowledge with new arrivals. This process ensures the proper performance of on-board scientific experiments and maintenance of the orbital complex.

NASA and SpaceX specialists evaluated several options for coordinating the next crew handover. They decided that a Crew-10 launch in March was “the best option to meet NASA’s requirements and achieve the space station’s 2025 goals,” according to an agency press release.

Long distance

The International Space Station received two resupply flights in November, ensuring crew members have enough food, water, clothing and oxygen. However, some experts have warned of potential health risks for Willmore and Williams after spending more than nine months in space.

The scientific community has been studying the effects of spaceflight on the human body since the 1970s. In the years following the first landing on the moon The conditions have been specified Such as loss of bone mass, poor heart function, vision problems, and the development of kidney stones.

A recent study from University College London reveals The structure and function of the kidneys can also be permanently damaged, although this is particularly aggressive in cases of astronauts who are very far from Earth, which is not the case on the International Space Station.

NASA notes that mission crews to the International Space Station usually undertake a long stay, with an average duration of six months. She adds that some astronauts have undertaken missions lasting up to one year to contribute to research related to human adaptation to spaceflight, with the aim of exploring the moon and Mars in the future.

This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish It was translated from Spanish.