NASA Delays Decision on Returning Trapped Astronauts, Options Under Consideration

TapTechNews August 15th news, NASA has once again postponed the decision on how to send two trapped American astronauts back to Earth. NASA said at a news conference on Wednesday that it will make a final decision on the specific way and time for the astronauts to return to Earth by the end of August. Officials also said that the astronauts' spacesuits are not suitable to be worn on other spacecraft that may serve as alternative vessels.

NASA also stated that these two astronauts are in good condition and were ready to carry out high-risk tasks when they went to space.

According to TapTechNews, on June 6th, American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunni Williams flew to the International Space Station on the Starliner spacecraft and were originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 14th, but due to problems such as a spacecraft thruster malfunction and helium leakage, the return time has been postponed repeatedly. This is the first manned test flight of the Starliner.

One alternative way for them to return to Earth is to take the SpaceX spacecraft that will be launched in the autumn. A more likely option is to take the SpaceX flight early next year, which will extend the original eight-day mission to eight months.

However, changing the way the astronauts return to Earth is not easy. NASA officials said on Wednesday that the astronauts' spacesuits are not interchangeable. If they return on the earlier SpaceX flight, they will not be able to wear the SpaceX-specific spacesuit, which may pose additional risks for them. If they take the later flight in early 2025, there will be time to deliver the appropriate spacesuit.

Simon Barbour, a space scientist at the Open University, told BBC News that either way, it seems inevitable to take the SpaceX spacecraft to return.

Boeing has repeatedly said that it fully believes the Starliner can safely bring the two astronauts home. NASA officials said that they are conducting major discussions on how to return the crew. The agency reaffirmed that they have full confidence in the Starliner and that the machine can be used to return astronauts to Earth in emergency situations.

Boeing and SpaceX have received billions of dollars in contracts from NASA to provide commercial space flight services for its astronauts. So far, SpaceX has carried out nine manned flight missions for NASA, but this is Boeing's first manned flight attempt. If these two astronauts are ultimately forced to return on the SpaceX spacecraft and wear the SpaceX spacesuit, it will be a great embarrassment for Boeing.

NASA officials also said that they have introduced external experts in propulsion systems to analyze the data of the failed spacecraft, and they will continue to analyze before making a decision.