The Boeing Starliner mission is not a science fiction movie, despite the fact that two astronauts becoming trapped in space may sound like the beginning of a science fiction film.
As part of the Starliner’s first crew flight test, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams were initially supposed to spend slightly over a week on the International Space Station.
Unfortunately, there were a number of problems with the spacecraft during the voyage, so it looks like the two astronauts will have to spend an additional several months on the ISS.
By the middle of August, NASA will decide whether Wilmore and Williams can board Starliner again or if they must wait to be picked up by a SpaceX vessel.
Regardless of the call made, the two professional astronauts are prepared to weather the storm.
“Butch and Suni are ready to do whatever we need them to do,” said Steve Stich, a senior NASA official, earlier this week.
The two astronauts have already made two flights to the International Space Station (ISS) as test pilots for the US Navy.
Prior to the Boeing flight, Wilmore, the mission commander, had flown in space for 178 days, while Williams, the pilot, had flown in space for 322 days.
“We are having a great time here on ISS,” Williams said during a press conference in July. The two had spent several years actively working on the Starliner’s development in order to get it ready for its maiden manned test flight.
NASA program manager for the International Space Station Dana Weigel stated this week that Wilmore and Williams are “fully trained” for their prolonged stay in space.
“A couple years ago, we made the decision knowing that this was a test flight to make sure that we had the right resources, supplies and training for the crew, just in case they needed to be on ISS for whatever reason, for a longer period of time,” she said.
While stuck aboard the ISS, the two astronauts are not sitting around twiddling their thumbs; rather, they play an active part in assisting the seven other astronauts on board with their daily work.
“It’s been helpful to have the extra set of hands on board,” Weigel said.
