Spacecraft Problems Could Keep NASA Astronauts at Space Station until February
2024-08-12
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1Two American astronauts could remain at the International Space Station (ISS) until February if the spacecraft that transported them cannot be fixed to safely bring them home.
2The U.S. space agency NASA said last week it had not yet made return plans for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
3The two have been aboard the ISS since June 6.
4The American astronauts were expected to stay in space for only a week.
5But technical issues with the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft have so far prevented a return trip.
6The trip that carried Wilmore and Williams was a test flight for Starliner that marked the first time the spacecraft successfully carried astronauts to space.
7NASA officials held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the ongoing situation with Starliner and the astronauts at the ISS.
8They said the agency is still working with Boeing to find a solution for the spacecraft's technical difficulties.
9Investigations have centered on helium leaks and thruster problems with Starliner.
10But if those issues cannot be resolved in the coming weeks, NASA said it could decide to use SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to bring the astronauts back to Earth.
11NASA has been using SpaceX's Crew Dragon to regularly carry astronauts and supplies to the ISS since 2020.
12If NASA decides to use Crew Dragon, it said it would leave two of four seats open during the spacecraft's next planned launch to the ISS in late September.
13Wilmore and Williams would then make the trip back to Earth with Crew Dragon.
14NASA officials told reporters they had brought in additional experts to examine Starliner's leak issues and thruster failures.
15At the same time, the space agency is looking more closely at SpaceX as a backup solution to get the astronauts back home.
16The agency's space operations mission chief, Ken Bowersox, said NASA's current thinking is that "we could take either path."
17He added that during a recent meeting, "We heard from a lot of folks that had concern, and the decision was not clear."
18NASA has said a final decision should be made by mid-August.
19Boeing representatives did not take part in the news conference.
20But the company issued a brief statement Wednesday repeating its position that Starliner could still be fixed to safely transport the astronauts.
21"We still believe in Starliner's capability and its flight rationale," Boeing said.
22The Boeing statement said if NASA did decide to change Starliner's mission, the company would "take the actions necessary to configure Starliner for an uncrewed return."
23Steve Stich is the commercial crew program manager for NASA.
24He said the agency was not seriously considering launching a separate SpaceX flight to pick up Wilmore and Williams.
25Officials said tests run by Boeing and NASA on Earth have reproduced Starliner's thruster problems.
26This has suggested to engineers a possible issue with the thruster's seals.
27But Stich noted it was not clear what is causing the seal issues.
28The thrusters are important for permitting Starliner to back away from the ISS during its separation operations.
29At the same time, engineers are seeking to find the cause of helium leaks in the spacecraft's propulsion system.
30The first leak happened before the launch, but more appeared during flight.
31Boeing has faced repeated delays as it struggles to complete NASA's flight testing process before it can receive approval to start running official trips to the ISS.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Two American astronauts could remain at the International Space Station (ISS) until February if the spacecraft that transported them cannot be fixed to safely bring them home. 2The U.S. space agency NASA said last week it had not yet made return plans for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The two have been aboard the ISS since June 6. 3The American astronauts were expected to stay in space for only a week. But technical issues with the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft have so far prevented a return trip. 4The trip that carried Wilmore and Williams was a test flight for Starliner that marked the first time the spacecraft successfully carried astronauts to space. 5NASA looking for a solution 6NASA officials held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the ongoing situation with Starliner and the astronauts at the ISS. They said the agency is still working with Boeing to find a solution for the spacecraft's technical difficulties. Investigations have centered on helium leaks and thruster problems with Starliner. 7But if those issues cannot be resolved in the coming weeks, NASA said it could decide to use SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to bring the astronauts back to Earth. NASA has been using SpaceX's Crew Dragon to regularly carry astronauts and supplies to the ISS since 2020. 8If NASA decides to use Crew Dragon, it said it would leave two of four seats open during the spacecraft's next planned launch to the ISS in late September. Wilmore and Williams would then make the trip back to Earth with Crew Dragon. 9NASA officials told reporters they had brought in additional experts to examine Starliner's leak issues and thruster failures. At the same time, the space agency is looking more closely at SpaceX as a backup solution to get the astronauts back home. 10The agency's space operations mission chief, Ken Bowersox, said NASA's current thinking is that "we could take either path." He added that during a recent meeting, "We heard from a lot of folks that had concern, and the decision was not clear." NASA has said a final decision should be made by mid-August. 11Boeing representatives did not take part in the news conference. But the company issued a brief statement Wednesday repeating its position that Starliner could still be fixed to safely transport the astronauts. "We still believe in Starliner's capability and its flight rationale," Boeing said. 12The Boeing statement said if NASA did decide to change Starliner's mission, the company would "take the actions necessary to configure Starliner for an uncrewed return." 13Steve Stich is the commercial crew program manager for NASA. He said the agency was not seriously considering launching a separate SpaceX flight to pick up Wilmore and Williams. 14Problems with thruster's seals 15Officials said tests run by Boeing and NASA on Earth have reproduced Starliner's thruster problems. This has suggested to engineers a possible issue with the thruster's seals. But Stich noted it was not clear what is causing the seal issues. 16The thrusters are important for permitting Starliner to back away from the ISS during its separation operations. At the same time, engineers are seeking to find the cause of helium leaks in the spacecraft's propulsion system. The first leak happened before the launch, but more appeared during flight. 17Boeing has faced repeated delays as it struggles to complete NASA's flight testing process before it can receive approval to start running official trips to the ISS. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and NASA. 20_______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22thruster - n. an engine that produces propulsion by releasing a jet of fluid or a stream of particles 23rationale - n. a group of reasons for a particular decision or belief 24configure - v. to arrange something or put its parts together in a particular form or pattern 25propulsion - n. a force that pushes something forward