Stranded in Space: Astronauts’ Unwavering Faith in Boeing Capsule |
Astronauts shipwrecked at the International Space Station remain confident that Boeing’s faulty craft will return them home safely.
Weeks past their scheduled return to Earth, American astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore remain stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) due to a series of leaks and system failures.
However, their confidence in the Boeing space capsule remains steadfast.
Today, Williams and Wilmore shared a hopeful message, stating their optimism about the situation and their belief in the Starliner’s ability to bring them home soon.
Suni Williams;
“We’ve practiced a lot, so I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem.”
Reiterating the mission’s purpose, Williams continued;
“This was a test flight. We were expecting to find some things, so we are finding stuff and we’re correcting it and making changes, making updates with our control team.”
Butch Wilmore added insight into the technical challenges they face.
“We did have some degradation in our thrusters and we know that. That’s why we’re staying. Because we’re gonna test it, that’s what we do. We’re gonna get the data that we need to help inform our decisions.”
NASA’s commercial crew program director Steve Stich mentioned that the earliest possible return for the Starliner astronauts is the end of July. The aim is to bring them back before SpaceX delivers a new crew in mid-August, though Stich acknowledged that this timeline could change.