NASA held a teleconference on Tuesday to address astronauts Suni Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore, 60, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since early June.
Williams and Wilmore's mission was scheduled to last just eight days, but they were stranded in space for two months due to mechanical failures in their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. E! News NASA Astronaut Office chief Joe Acaba reportedly confirmed that William and Wilmore were in good spirits during the Aug. 14 meeting. Long, unpredictable delays are one of the many variables astronauts are trained to deal with.
“That's part of our job,” explained Merak, who has flown three space missions with NASA. “We realize that launch dates can slip, mission durations can change in real time, so again, they're doing a great job as professionals.”
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said he and Merak expect to complete their analysis of options for bringing Williams and Wilmore home within the next week, after which a formal review will be conducted to determine whether to return the Starliner to Earth or one of SpaceX’s Dragon capsules.
If the Boeing Starliner can be fixed, Williams and Wilmore can leave as soon as it’s ready. But if they have to take the SpaceX capsule, they’ll have to spend another six months on the ISS. But since the ISS can easily receive resupply missions, food is low on NASA’s list of concerns about getting the two back to Earth. The longest the astronauts could spend in space would be eight months.
Boeing was not present at Tuesday’s conference call but expressed hope last week that the Starliner could be fixed. The problems include five failed thrusters and leaks in the plane’s propulsion-related plumbing.
“We remain confident in Starliner's capability and flight rationale,” the company said. E! News on Aug. 9. “Should NASA decide to change the mission, we will take the necessary steps to configure Starliner for an uncrewed return.”