Latest news with #BoeingStarliner
Ammon
12 hours ago
- Science
- Ammon
Astronauts in space for 9 months didn't know if they would 'be able to make it back'
Ammon News - When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore approached the International Space Station (ISS) last year with failing thrusters on their Boeing Starliner capsule, they were unable to fly forward to dock. And if they couldn't dock, they didn't know if they could make it back home again. "Docking was imperative," Mr Wilmore told BBC News, two months after he and Ms Williams finally made a successful return to Earth. "If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back? We didn't know." The astronauts had been travelling on a test flight that was meant to last eight days. Instead, they ended up staying in space for nearly 10 months. The first challenge was to dock safely and successfully at the ISS, which they managed to do within several minutes after Mission Control on the ground helped them restart the craft's thrusters. Mr Wilmore said that the possibility they might never see Earth again "definitely went through our minds". But both astronauts said they didn't communicate the worst-case scenarios out loud in those moments, because they were trained to move on with solving problems. The pair's saga began in June 2024. They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, which was developed by aerospace company Boeing. But after a number of technical problems during their flight, the option of Starliner carrying the astronauts home as planned was deemed to be a risk not worth taking - given that the pair could instead be brought back by another company, SpaceX. For that reason, they stayed in space until they hitched a ride back on a SpaceX capsule. For its part, Boeing maintained that its own capsule was safe to use - and was proven right when the craft returned, uncrewed, in September 2024. After months of experiments aboard the space station, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore eventually returned to Earth on 18 March. During this phase of their mission, the pair were repeatedly described as stranded, implying there was no means for them to get off the ISS. But that was not the case, as the space station always has spacecraft attached to it - which could have acted in an emergency as a lifeboat to carry the astronauts back to Earth. Nonetheless, the pair's stay was longer than expected - though the Nasa pair embraced this. After two months back on the ground, both astronauts say they are feeling fit and well, because the workouts that they undertook while in their zero-gravity environment paid off. Exercising in zero gravity means your body doesn't need much time to recover from the daily squats and deadlifts, Mr Wilmore explained. He said he performed squats and deadlifts "every single day for almost 10 months", meaning that he returned to Earth "literally stronger than I've ever been in my life". Ms Williams agreed - she went running days after landing back on Earth and once ran a full marathon in space strapped to a treadmill - but said it's not always easy to readjust to the weight of the world. "Just getting gravity back on your head and your back and all that kind of stuff is a little bit painful," she said. Since their return, the pair have been working with Nasa and Boeing to fix problems with the malfunctioning spacecraft that took them into space last summer. "We are very positively hopeful that there will be opportunities to fly the Boeing Starliner in the future," Mr Wilmore said. And both astronauts said they would personally fly in the craft again - once those technical issues were resolved.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Astronauts who spent nine months on the International Space Station wondered if they'd ever return to Earth
At the very start of what was supposed to be a weeklong space mission, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore had to wonder if they'd ever make it back to the Earth's surface. As Williams and Wilmore approached the International Space Station last year, the thrusters on their Boeing Starliner capsule gave out, leaving the spacecraft unable to move forward. 3 Astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore have spent the last two months readjusting to gravity. AP Advertisement When they realized they might not be able to dock on the ISS, a frightening — and as it turned out, prophetic — thought entered their minds. 'If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back [to Earth]?,' Wilmore told the BBC. 'We didn't know.' Safely docking, Wilmore said, was imperative to their survival and eventual return to terra firma. Advertisement The pair's fears proved correct, as equipment failures resulted in Williams and Wilmore spending 285 days stranded in space. After the craft was docked, Wilmore and Williams both considered the possibility they might never see Earth again. 3 The pair spent 10 months more than they should have when their spacecraft's thrusters failed. Getty Images 'It definitely went through our minds,' Wilmore said. Advertisement The astronauts dared not discuss the prospect, though. Instead, their training kicked in. 'You sort of read each other's mind and know where we're going with all the failures,' Williams told the outlet. 'These were not expected. At the same time, you know, we're like, 'What do we have? What can we do?'' Wilmore and Williams spent nine months on the ISS after the capsule failed, waiting for a flight home that would eventually come via SpaceX's Dragon craft. Both returned to the Earth's surface in March. Advertisement They told the BBC they were never truly stranded on the ISS, as spacecraft attached to the space station could have been used to get them back in an emergency. 'We knew nobody was going to just let us down,' Williams explained. 'We knew everybody had our back and was looking out for us.' 3 The astronauts have been working with NASA and Boeing to fix the failed spacecraft. dimazel – The two have been readjusting to gravity for the last two months. They have also been working with NASA and Boeing to address the issues that caused their spacecraft to go kaput.
Mint
3 days ago
- Science
- Mint
NASA's Sunita Williams, Butch recall Starliner's journey to space: 'We didn't know if we would be able to make it back'
During their space journey last year, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore wondered whether they would have been able to 'make it back' home if their Starliner vehicle had not docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Starliner's historic first test mission with NASA astronauts had issues docking with the ISS on June 6 after five thrusters (out of 28) in its reaction control system misbehaved. Two months after safely landing on Earth, Butch Wilmore recalled the horror he and Sunita Williams faced when their Boeing Starliner capsule was detected with faults mid-journey. Wilmore told BBC News that docking of the spacecraft with the space station was 'imperative'. But when the spacecraft endured a series of thruster failures and helium leaks, the astronauts were unable to fly forward to dock. "If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back? We didn't know," Wilmore said. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore had launched into space on June 5, riding on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. They reached the ISS on June 6. They were supposed to spend eight days in space, but they ended up staying for around nine months due to the faults in the Starliner. The NASA had determined it was too much of a risk to put the two NASA astronauts back on board Starliner, and changed its ISS manifest to bring the astronauts home in another way. The two NASA astronauts returned safely to Earth in March this year, on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Since their return, the duo have been working with the NASA and Boeing to fix problems with the malfunctioning spacecraft that took them into space last summer, BBC reported. "We are very positively hopeful that there will be opportunities to fly the Boeing Starliner in the future," Wilmore said. Both astronauts said they would personally fly in the craft again - once those technical issues were resolved. "It's a very capable spacecraft," Sunita Williams was quoted as saying. She added, "It has unique capabilities compared to other spacecraft that are out there that are really great for future astronauts to fly."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Stranded astronauts didn't know if they would 'be able to make it back'
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore approached the International Space Station (ISS) last year with failing thrusters on their Boeing Starliner capsule, they were unable to fly forward to dock. And if they couldn't dock, they didn't know if they could make it back home again. "Docking was imperative," Mr Wilmore told BBC News, two months after he and Ms Williams finally made a successful return to Earth. "If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back? We didn't know." The astronauts had been travelling on a test flight that was meant to last eight days. Instead, they ended up staying in space for nearly 10 months. The first challenge was to dock safely and successfully at the ISS, which they managed to do within several minutes after Mission Control on the ground helped them restart the craft's thrusters. Mr Wilmore said that the possibility they might never see Earth again "definitely went through our minds". But both astronauts said they didn't communicate the worst-case scenarios out loud in those moments, because they were trained to move on with solving problems. "You sort of read each other's mind and know where we're going with all the failures," Ms Williams told the BBC. "These were not expected," she admitted. But thoughts quickly turned to solutions: "At the same time, you know, we're like, what do we have? What can we do?" Astronauts Butch and Suni finally back on Earth How did the Nasa pair fill nine months in space? The pair's saga began in June 2024. They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, which was developed by aerospace company Boeing. But after a number of technical problems during their flight, the option of Starliner carrying the astronauts home as planned was deemed to be a risk not worth taking - given that the pair could instead be brought back by another company, SpaceX. For that reason, they stayed in space until they hitched a ride back on a SpaceX capsule. For its part, Boeing maintained that its own capsule was safe to use - and was proven right when the craft returned, uncrewed, in September 2024. After months of experiments aboard the space station, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore eventually returned to Earth on 18 March. During this phase of their mission, the pair were repeatedly described as stranded, implying there was no means for them to get off the ISS. But that was not the case, as the space station always has spacecraft attached to it - which could have acted in an emergency as a lifeboat to carry the astronauts back to Earth. Nonetheless, the pair's stay was longer than expected - though the Nasa pair embraced this. "We knew nobody was going to just let us down... we knew everybody had our back and was looking out for us," Ms Williams said. While in limbo, the pair even found themselves in the middle of a political row, after US President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for abandoning them in space. But the astronauts said they ignored the politics and didn't feel abandoned. "We can't speak to that at all," said Mr Wilmore. "We understand space flight is hard, human space flight is even harder." After two months back on the ground, both astronauts say they are feeling fit and well, because the workouts that they undertook while in their zero-gravity environment paid off. Exercising in zero gravity means your body doesn't need much time to recover from the daily squats and deadlifts, Mr Wilmore explained. He said he performed squats and deadlifts "every single day for almost 10 months", meaning that he returned to Earth "literally stronger than I've ever been in my life". Ms Williams agreed - she went running days after landing back on Earth and once ran a full marathon in space strapped to a treadmill - but said it's not always easy to readjust to the weight of the world. "Just getting gravity back on your head and your back and all that kind of stuff is a little bit painful," she said. Since their return, the pair have been working with Nasa and Boeing to fix problems with the malfunctioning spacecraft that took them into space last summer. "We are very positively hopeful that there will be opportunities to fly the Boeing Starliner in the future," Mr Wilmore said. And both astronauts said they would personally fly in the craft again - once those technical issues were resolved. "It's a very capable spacecraft," Ms Williams said. "It has unique capabilities compared to other spacecraft that are out there that are really great for future astronauts to fly." What nine months in space does to the human body Astronauts reveal what life is like on ISS – and how they deal with 'space smell'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Almost lost in space: Astronauts recall tension of troubled Starliner flight
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore approached the International Space Station (ISS) last year with failing thrusters on their Boeing Starliner capsule, they were unable to fly forward to dock. And if they couldn't dock, they didn't know if they could make it back home again."Docking was imperative," Mr Wilmore told BBC News, two months after he and Ms Williams finally made a successful return to Earth. "If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back? We didn't know."The astronauts had been travelling on a test flight that was meant to last eight days. Instead, they ended up staying in space for nearly 10 months. The first challenge was to dock safely and successfully at the ISS, which they managed to do within several minutes after Mission Control on the ground helped them restart the craft's Wilmore said that the possibility they might never see Earth again "definitely went through our minds".But both astronauts said they didn't communicate the worst-case scenarios out loud in those moments, because they were trained to move on with solving problems. "You sort of read each other's mind and know where we're going with all the failures," Ms Williams told the BBC. "These were not expected," she admitted. But thoughts quickly turned to solutions: "At the same time, you know, we're like, what do we have? What can we do?" Astronauts Butch and Suni finally back on EarthHow did the Nasa pair fill nine months in space? The pair's saga began in June 2024. They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, which was developed by aerospace company after a number of technical problems during their flight, the option of Starliner carrying the astronauts home as planned was deemed to be a risk not worth taking - given that the pair could instead be brought back by another company, that reason, they stayed in space until they hitched a ride back on a SpaceX capsule. For its part, Boeing maintained that its own capsule was safe to use - and was proven right when the craft returned, uncrewed, in September months of experiments aboard the space station, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore eventually returned to Earth on 18 this phase of their mission, the pair were repeatedly described as stranded, implying there was no means for them to get off the that was not the case, as the space station always has spacecraft attached to it - which could have acted in an emergency as a lifeboat to carry the astronauts back to the pair's stay was longer than expected - though the Nasa pair embraced this."We knew nobody was going to just let us down... we knew everybody had our back and was looking out for us," Ms Williams in limbo, the pair even found themselves in the middle of a political row, after US President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for abandoning them in space. But the astronauts said they ignored the politics and didn't feel abandoned. "We can't speak to that at all," said Mr Wilmore. "We understand space flight is hard, human space flight is even harder." After two months back on the ground, both astronauts say they are feeling fit and well, because the workouts that they undertook while in their zero-gravity environment paid in zero gravity means your body doesn't need much time to recover from the daily squats and deadlifts, Mr Wilmore said he performed squats and deadlifts "every single day for almost 10 months", meaning that he returned to Earth "literally stronger than I've ever been in my life".Ms Williams agreed - she went running days after landing back on Earth and once ran a full marathon in space strapped to a treadmill - but said it's not always easy to readjust to the weight of the world. "Just getting gravity back on your head and your back and all that kind of stuff is a little bit painful," she their return, the pair have been working with Nasa and Boeing to fix problems with the malfunctioning spacecraft that took them into space last summer."We are very positively hopeful that there will be opportunities to fly the Boeing Starliner in the future," Mr Wilmore both astronauts said they would personally fly in the craft again - once those technical issues were resolved."It's a very capable spacecraft," Ms Williams said. "It has unique capabilities compared to other spacecraft that are out there that are really great for future astronauts to fly."
