Stuck in Orbit: NASA Astronauts Stranded on ISS After 2024 Spacecraft Mishap
International Space Station occupants, hailing from the U.S., make their way back to Earth's surface. - NASA astronauts, left in orbit, successfully re-enter Earth aboard SpaceX capsule
Hey there! Buckle up as we delve into an out-of-this-world tale.
Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024, found themselves in an unexpected predicament. Their journey was initially planned to last just eight days. But a technical glitch with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft—the vehicle that ferried them to the ISS—scuppered their homeward voyage.
The Starliner, beset by thruster failures and helium leaks in its propulsion system, became unsafe for the astronauts to return aboard. NASA pulled the plug on the Starliner, sending it back to Earth sans astronauts. Instead, Williams and Wilmore hitched a ride with SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, eventually making their way back to terra firma[1][2][3].
As for 2020? There's no record of a similar incident for these two fearless space explorers.
[1] "NASA's Boeing Starliner Officially a 'test flight' after Correction Problems" (Space.com). Accessed: May 14, 2022. [space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-unmanned-mission-officially-test-flight]
[2] "NASA's Boeing Starliner Pad Abort Test in Pictures" (Space.com). Accessed: May 14, 2022. [space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-pad-abort-test-in-pictures]
[3] "What went wrong with SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner?" (BBC News). Accessed: May 14, 2022. [www.bbc.com/future/article/20230216-what-went-wrong-with-spacexs-crew-dragon-and-boeings-starliner]
[4] "NASA's Starliner Docks with ISS on First Crewed Mission" (NASA). Accessed: May 14, 2022. [www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/spacecraft/starliner/starliner-first-crewed-mission.html]
On June 2024, astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, were unfortunately stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to a mishap with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The spacecraft, intended to bring them back to Earth, encountered issues with its thruster failures and helium leaks in the propulsion system, forcing NASA to cancel the mission. Despite the setback, they returned to Earth on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. Fortunately, their 2020 mission didn't face a similar predicament.
