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Boeing’s Starliner capsule will be docked to the international space station during the Crew Test Flight Mission in June 2024. | Credit: NASA
The NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore both say that despite the problems that the capsule had on his first crew flight, they are once again on Boeing’s Starliner.
Wilmore and Williams started last June on the first Astronaut mission by Starliner Astronaut, known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT). Problems with the thrust of the spacecraft caused the NASA and Boeing To extend CFT, while the engineers analyzed the problem on site and ultimately turned Williams and Wilmores planned eight -day mission on board the space station into a nine -month saga.
At the end of August, NASA decided to return Starliner To earth without crew. The agency transferred Williams and Wilmore to the manifesto for SpaceexThe crew 9 mission, which arrived at the space station in September and wore NASA astronaut Nick Hague and the Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. After the CFT astronauts are speculated a lot politically and speculated, they open up about their mission – and both said they would fly again with Starliner if they gave the chance.
“Yes, because we correct all problems we have met,” said Wilmore during a press conference on Monday (March 31). “We will repair it; we will get it up and running. Boeing is completely committed. NASA is completely committed. And I would go into it immediately.”
“It is a great spaceship and it has a great ability that other spaceships do not have,” added Williams. “It is an honor to see this thing successfully and to be part of this program.”
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The event on Monday that took place at NASA Johnson Space Center In Houston came about two weeks after the SpaceX Crew dragon With Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov on board, Freedom splashed off the Florida coast.
All three NASA astronauts took part in the press conference on Monday (Gorbunov was not present). The trio thanked for the attention that her mission received. And Wilmore and Williams discussed the problems that Starliners had in orbit, as well as responsibility for them.
“You can start with me,” said Wilmore. “Responsibility with Boeing? Yes. Responsibility with NASA? Yes. All up and down in the chain.”
Some people have politically turned Williams and Wilmores space -odyssey. For example, President Donald Trump and SpaceX boss Elon Musk claim that the Starliner Crew was “practically abandoned” by the Biden administration in space. But the astronauts say that a longer circulation was always part of the emergency plans of their mission.
“There are a large group of people who see the entire program and understand how and how the best time and the best way were to bring us home,” said Williams. “We knew that and we were ready to wait until this decision was made.”
The astronauts added that they were largely protected in orbit from the discourse on their mission, which occurred again Earth. “When we work up there in space, they don’t feel politics,” said Hague. “You don’t feel anything of it. It focuses strictly on mission.”
Hague also confirmed that the plan for the return of Williams and Wilmore on board the crew 9 kite was stopped in front of the spaceship before the spaceship ever left the start pad.
“We planned … from the first day to return to the end of February,” he said. “The [was] Everything was based on the fact that we would perform a replacement team, and we would have a reasonable handover with this crew before our departure. “
Crew-9 NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Sununi Williams on board the international space station. | Credit: NASA
SpaceX ‘crew 10 mission for NASA Started with this aid team on March 14th and arrived to the ISS a few hours later. It is not only typical that station crews overlap between the rotations, but also a NASA requirement for operational continuity.
“It is important to maintain the mission of the International space stationTo continue to promote research and exploration, and that was never an option all the time, said Hague.
Williams and Wilmore plan to continue their participation in the Starlin program where they are back on earth. Your message: don’t count Starliner yet.
According to Wilmore, the two should meet Boeing Leadership this week to discuss the problems of Starliner. “You want to come with us,” he said.
Your turbulent mission has also given Williams and Wilmore a unique perspective: They are the only astronauts that flew in both Starliner and in the Crew Dragon.
Everyone offers a nice trip, the two astronauts said during the press conference on Monday.
“They are both great for various reasons,” said Williams. “Dragon is a very comfortable spaceship that tells you what it is, which is very nice,” she added before she gave a bright explanation of several of the unique, manually controllable features of Starliner.
Related: “We just went out”: Boeing Starliner astronauts about why her spaceship returned to earth without her
Related stories:
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-Never-‘Stuck’ Starliner astronauts finally return to earth with crew-9 duo in SpaceX Dragon Splashdown
Wilmore also cited this characteristic characteristic, characteristic of astronauts for Starliner, to take control of the capsule at any time, in contrast to crew dragons uncomplicated, idiotic autonomous flight.
“I jokingly said a few times before our start that I could literally take a run over the tip of the space station [with Starliner]”, Said Wilmore.” I would never do that, but you can in the spaceship. It is very, very capable. “
The couple quickly agreed with Dragon: “More Velcro fastener”. A slimmer design with fewer buttons apparently leaves a lot of surface in the crew kite for strips of Velcro knife -astronauts to secure things such as pens or notebooks from gliding.
Wilmore said that in view of the skills of the spacecraft and the commitment to the vehicle, which both NASA and Boeing showed, he was optimistic about the future of Starliner.
“If we can find out a few very important main problems with the engines and the helium system, Starliner is ready to go,” said Wilmore. But he admitted: “That won’t happen overnight.”
