NASA ’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams givie an interview on board the International Space Station on Wednesday , July 10.NASA TV
Two NASA astronauts will remain on the International Space Station ( ISS ) for at least several more weeks , astesting continueson the troubled Boeing Starliner that carried them to the station on its first crewed tryout flying . Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are dependable on the station and , NASA take a firm stand , not stranded , but they will not yet be returning home due to thruster issues with their ballistic capsule .
In apress conference todayfrom the station , Wilmore was specially enthusiastic about the handling of the spacecraft following launching . “ The spacecraft performed unbelievably well , ” he said .
NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams givie an interview on board the International Space Station on Wednesday, July 10.NASA TV
As part of the astronauts ’ rating of the spacecraft , they give a degree from one to 10 on a scale called the Cooper – Harper rating weighing machine , with one being the best possible . “ I ’ve never given a one in all my trajectory mental testing years on a Cooper - Harper rating musical scale for handling qualities , but I was tempted , ” he say .
After the first Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , though , there wereproblems with the Starliner ’s thruster , which induce handling issues . Even with these issues , though , Wilmore said that the dockage of the ballistic capsule with the ISS was still extremely precise .
Williams have details about what the couplet have been up to during their time on the ISS , including checking over the Starliner and examination that it would hold four people comfortably . They have also been work with other fellow member of the current ISS crew on alimony tasks on the station , like replacing pumps and working on science research .
Regarding the issues with Starliner , Williams was relaxed , state , “ This is a test flight , so we were expecting to obtain some things , and so we are finding stuff and we are correct it . ”
In a later insistency update , NASA and Boeing representatives discuss the issues further . “ We ’re taking our time on the solid ground to go through all the datum that we have before we decide on the return opportunity . We ’re taking time to build confidence in the spacecraft , to understand the pusher performance , ” said Steve Stich , manager of NASA ’s Commercial Crew Program , who detail some of the examination being done regarding the thruster issue . “ What we ’re doing is not strange for a new spacecraft . ” He also emphasized that in an pinch , William and Wilmore could use the Starliner to repay to Earth .
NASA still has not pass on a escort for the planned return of the Starliner to Earth , though the departure of the current ISS Crew-8 and the arrival of Crew-9 , both scheduled for mid - August , will be a scheduling business concern . There is a possibleness that the Starliner may return to Earth at the end of July , but this is n’t yet known for certain .
The most urgent publication for the Starliner in terms of metre spent in orbit is its batteries , which were originally suppose to be used for 45 days only . presently the Starliner is at 35 days in blank , but Stich sound out that the battery are healthy and not showing any execution issues , so that time could potentially be extended .
In the meanwhile , the spaceman will remain on the post and are sanguine about the post . “ This is the existence of test , ” Wilmore said . “ There have been multiple issue with every space vehicle that has ever been design , and that ’s the nature of what we do . ”
