Latest news with #SpaceXCrew-9Dragon
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Everyone has 'responsibility' for Starliner test flight failures, NASA astronaut says
One of the astronauts who returned to Earth after an unexpected nine months in space said on Monday that everyone holds "responsibility" for what may have gone wrong with Boeing's Starliner test flight. Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams performed the first astronaut-crewed flight of Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024. However, what was supposed to be a mission lasting about one week turned into a nine-month stay aboard the ISS due to several issues with Starliner before they returned home in mid-March 2024. MORE: Timeline of Boeing's Starliner mission that left NASA astronauts aboard ISS for 9 months In response to a question during a press briefing at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday about who is to "blame" for what went wrong, Wilmore said everyone holds some "responsibility." "I'll start with me," Wilmore said. "There were questions that I, as a commander of the spacecraft, that I should have asked, and I did not. At the time, I didn't know I needed to. And maybe you could call that hindsight. But I'll start and point the finger, and I'll blame me. I could've asked some questions, and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide." "'Blame' ... I don't like that term, but certainly there's responsibility throughout all the programs, and certainly you can start with me," he continued. "Responsibility with Boeing, yes. Responsibility with NASA, yes, all the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this." Issues with the spacecraft prompted NASA and Boeing to send Starliner back to Earth uncrewed and keep Wilmore and Williams onboard the ISS until early 2025, when they would return home on a SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft once Crew-10 arrived at the ISS. The SpaceX Crew-9 undocked in the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, and deorbited in the afternoon, before returning to Earth Tuesday evening. Williams said they were "surprised" by the public interest in their mission. "It's interesting. We go and launch, we knew it was a little bit unique, obviously, first time flying on a new spacecraft," she said. "But, you know, then life goes on up there and … we pivoted, and we were International Space Station crew members, and we're doing what all of our other friends and in the astronaut, office do is go and work and train and do science." "And so you're not really aware of what else is going on down here. But, I think we were just really focused on what we were doing and trying to be part of the team and making sure we pulled our weight for the team," Williams said. "So no, I don't think we were aware to the degree -- honored and humbled by the fact of when we came home like, 'Wow, there's, there are a lot of people who are interested.'" The pair were also asked about how they felt about being pulled into the middle of a political battle. During a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity in February, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the astronauts has been abandoned in space by then-president Joe Biden. "They didn't have the go-ahead with Biden," Trump said. "He was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space. … He didn't want the publicity. Can you believe it?" During the Hannity interview, Musk said SpaceX was "accelerating" the return of Wilmore and Williams at Trump's request, adding that "they were left up there for political reasons, which is not good." These comments were made despite confirmation from NASA in August 2024 that Wilmore and Williams would return on the SpaceX Crew 9 spacecraft in early 2025. NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who returned with Wilmore and Williams on Crew-9 said the politics "don't make it up" to the ISS, but that there was always a plan to bring the astronauts home. "We were planning from day one to return toward the end of end of February," he said. "That all predicated on the fact that we would have a replacement crew show up, and we'd have adequate hand over that's important to maintain the mission of the International Space Station, to continue pushing research and exploration, and that was never in question the entire time." Wilmore said although the Starliner mission did not go as originally planned, there were "contingencies" In place. "We said this before; we had a plan, right? The plan went way off what we had planned," he said. "But because we're in human spaceflight, we prepare for any number of contingencies, because this is a curvy road. You never know where it's going to go, we prepare for this." Everyone has 'responsibility' for Starliner test flight failures, NASA astronaut says originally appeared on
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Watch Live: Massachusetts astronaut Suni Williams speaks about return since being stuck in space
Astronaut and Needham, Massachusetts native Sunita Williams will speak about her nine-and-a-half months stuck in space for the first time since returning to Earth in a news conference on Monday. You can watch it live on CBS News Boston at 2:30 p.m. by clicking on the video player above. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore will talk to reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas about their extended stay on the International Space Station. Williams and Wilmore were only expected to be in space for eight to 10 days originally when they blasted off on June 5, 2024. That soon turned to months after NASA was concerned about issues with the Starliner they arrived in. The spacecraft returned to Earth in September without Williams and Wilmore. Then, the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon capsule traveled to the space station with two empty spots for Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59. However, NASA said that their replacements were aboard the SpaceX Crew-10, which was set to launch "no earlier than late March 2025," after experiencing issues. Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth on March 18, just off the coast of Florida, on the SpaceX Dragon capsule with commander Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov. Their 286-day mission, which spanned 121 million miles and 4,576 orbits, is the sixth-longest single NASA mission. To celebrate her return, there was a watch party at The Common Room in her hometown of Needham . "I think it's an exciting day and exciting return. We love Suni here. She is our local shero," said Kiana Brunson, principal of the elementary school. "We all kind of feel relieved that she's, like, safe, and, yeah, we're so excited to see her again," Needham student Priya Butler said. An elementary school in Needham, Sunita Williams Elementary School, was named after the astronaut in 2019. Her flight suit and other NASA artifacts are displayed there. Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983. Her classmates said she was smart, funny, and athletic during her time at the school. "It is so exciting and we're so proud to have a classmate that is so successful and did something so amazing," said Donna Zambito, who went to school with Williams. Williams' 10 months in space were not without challenges. In January, the astronaut spoke to Needham High School students while she was stuck in space. She answered questions from the students and described her out-of-the-ordinary experience. "I've been up here long enough right now I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk. I haven't walked. I haven't sat down. I haven't laid down. You don't have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here," Williams said. She explained that they expected to be stuck at the space station a bit longer than originally planned, but the "extended stay was just a little bit different." "It was a little bit of a shock, actually," Williams described. Williams managed to stay connected to Massachusetts while she was in space. In August, she ran the Falmouth Road Race from a treadmill on the space station. The race is seven miles long and has roughly 12,000 other runners.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
US Space Force celebrates return of 1st Guardian to launch to space (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. U.S. Space Force Col. Nick Hague is back on Earth after living on the International Space Station (ISS) for the last five-plus months. On March 18, Hague splashed down in the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon capsule "Freedom" with fellow NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Hague holds the distinction of being the first Space Force Guardian to launch into orbit. As a member of the Crew-9 mission, Hague's trip began aboard Freedom, which lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 28, 2024. "I never would have imagined that I was going to be the first Guardian to launch into space," Hague said in a post-splashdown statement. "I represent all those Guardians that are around the globe. I represent that entire family that brings so much to the table that lets us explore space, and it's a thrill to be a part of that." Related: Dolphins welcome SpaceX's Crew-9 astronauts home after splashdown (video) Hague was busy during his ISS stay, helping with over 150 scientific experiments. His work included studies on blood clotting and how astronauts' vision changes in space. He also looked into how plants grow in microgravity. These studies could be foundational for future missions, such as the journey to Mars', which will require long voyages through the final frontier. "The experiments we are conducting on ISS are pushing the boundaries of science and solving real-world problems," Hague said. "Whether it's finding new treatments for diseases, discovering new material properties, learning to grow food more efficiently, or ensuring the health of future space explorers, the ongoing research aboard the space station can and has improved life for everyone back on Earth." Related stories: — SpaceX launches relief crew for NASA's beleaguered Starliner astronauts on ISS (video) — NASA moves up return date for Boeing Starliner astronauts after swapping SpaceX Dragon spacecraft — International Space Station: Everything you need to know Hague's time on the ISS also included some important maintenance for the orbiting laboratory. During a six-hour spacewalk on Jan. 16, for example, Hague helped to replace a station component. He also serviced a research instrument on the outside of the ISS that's required for space-related observation. When Hague launched last year, he brought a few items with him, including sheet music for the Space Force song "Semper Supra," which the military branch says "symbolized the branch's expanding presence in space and its commitment to safeguarding U.S. interests." Other significant items Hague brought to space included mission patches and mementos honoring contributions for service members, scientists, and engineers. "Welcome home, Nick, and congratulations on your second return from the ISS," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, said in the same statement. "We're all excited to have you back, and we're ready to leverage your experiences and expertise in the Space Force."
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump tells Musk to 'go get' NASA astronauts who were 'left stranded' by Biden
Donald Trump demanded SpaceX boss Elon Musk 'go get' two NASA astronauts who, the president claims, were left 'abandoned in space' by the Biden Administration. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the International Space Station since June 2024 after their Boeing Starliner became beset with issues. The mission, which was intended to last eight days, has now lasted more than eight months. Extending beyond Musk's remit as head of the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency tasked with cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget, Trump called on his First Buddy to bring Williams and Wilmore back from the thermosphere. 'I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration,' he wrote on Truth Social late on Tuesday, taking a swipe at his predecessor. He continued: 'They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!' Hours before Trump broadcast his request, Musk publicly accepted the challenge. 'The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible,' the billionaire wrote on X. 'We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.' Responding to a comment that the Biden Administration hated Musk more than they wanted to rescue the astronauts, the MAGA loyalist replied, 'True'. Though it wasn't immediately clear what the new timeline was, a SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon was originally planned to retrieve the astronauts in February, before it was moved to 'no earlier than late March 2025,' NASA said last month. A previous SpaceX rescue mission faced problems, causing Musk's company to temporarily ground its Falcon 9 rockets in September. Musk has been especially close with the president ever since endorsing the GOP candidate in July, after the first attempt on Trump's life during a Pennsylvania rally. The Silicon Valley stalwart spent over $250m on political donations to help Trump retake the White House last week, primarily through donations to his super-political action committee, America PAC. He continued to cozy up to the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, staying in a $ 2000-per-week cottage on its grounds ever since Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris at the ballot box in November.
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump tells Musk to 'go get' NASA astronauts who were 'left stranded' by Biden
Donald Trump demanded SpaceX boss Elon Musk 'go get' two NASA astronauts who, the president claims, were left 'abandoned in space' by the Biden Administration. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the International Space Station since June 2024 after their Boeing Starliner became beset with issues. The mission, which was intended to last eight days, has now lasted more than eight months. Extending beyond Musk's remit as head of the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency tasked with cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget, Trump called on his First Buddy to bring Williams and Wilmore back from the thermosphere. 'I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration,' he wrote on Truth Social late on Tuesday, taking a swipe at his predecessor. He continued: 'They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!' Hours before Trump broadcast his request, Musk publicly accepted the challenge. 'The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible,' the billionaire wrote on X. 'We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.' Responding to a comment that the Biden Administration hated Musk more than they wanted to rescue the astronauts, the MAGA loyalist replied, 'True'. Though it wasn't immediately clear what the new timeline was, a SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon was originally planned to retrieve the astronauts in February, before it was moved to 'no earlier than late March 2025,' NASA said last month. A previous SpaceX rescue mission faced problems, causing Musk's company to temporarily ground its Falcon 9 rockets in September. Musk has been especially close with the president ever since endorsing the GOP candidate in July, after the first attempt on Trump's life during a Pennsylvania rally. The Silicon Valley stalwart spent over $250m on political donations to help Trump retake the White House last week, primarily through donations to his super-political action committee, America PAC. He continued to cozy up to the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, staying in a $ 2000-per-week cottage on its grounds ever since Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris at the ballot box in November.
