NASA has done it again postponed the return of Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth Astronauts are stranded on the International Space Station after Boeing’s Starliner capsule malfunctioned middle of this year.
The spacecraft crew arrived at the ISS in June. The aim was to test the Starliner’s comprehensive capabilities, including launch, docking and return systems. The operation was supposed to last a week. Five of the capsule’s 28 engines malfunctioned before docking with the ISS. Boeing claimed its technology could guarantee the safe return of astronauts. However, NASA expressed doubts and concluded that the risk was too high. The agency commissioned the task SpaceX.
Elon Musk’s company launched the Crew 9 mission in September to bring back Williams and Wilmore, among others. Until now, the stalled astronauts were planned Return in February aboard the Crew Dragon rocket. However, NASA has announced that it expects the expedition to return to Earth’s surface after the arrival of Crew-10, which will be dispatched no earlier than late March 2025.
The adjustment will allow SpaceX and NASA engineers to complete development of a new Dragon spacecraft that will be shipped to the company’s Florida facility early next month.
“The fabrication, assembly, testing and final integration of a new spacecraft is a laborious undertaking that requires great attention to detail,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. “We appreciate the SpaceX team’s hard work to expand the Dragon fleet to support our missions and provide flexibility to the station program and expedition teams as we work together to complete the new capsule’s flight readiness.”
NASA said that the Crew 9 and Crew 10 crews must complete a “handover phase” in which the ISS residents share experiences and knowledge with the newcomers. This process ensures the proper conduct of onboard scientific experiments and maintenance of the orbital complex.
Specialists from NASA and SpaceX examined several options for coordinating the next manned delivery. They concluded that launching Crew-10 in March was the “best option to meet NASA’s requirements and achieve the space station’s 2025 goals,” the agency said in a press release.
A long haul
The ISS received two resupply flights in November to ensure crew members have enough food, water, clothing and oxygen. But some experts warned of potential health risks for Wilmore and Williams after spending more than nine months in space.
The scientific community has been studying the effects of space travel on the human body since the 1970s. In the years since the first moon landing, it is has identified conditions such as loss of bone mass, weakened heart function, vision problems and the development of kidney stones.
A recent study by University College London reveals that the structure and function of the kidneys can also be permanently damaged, although this is particularly aggressive when astronauts move too far from Earth, which is not the case on the ISS.
NASA points out that crews of expeditions to the ISS typically spend longer stays, lasting an average of six months. It adds that some astronauts have carried out missions lasting up to a year to contribute to research into human adaptation to space travel with a view to future exploration of the Moon and Mars.
This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.
