All you wanted to know about Suni Williams’ space flight and did not know whom to ask.
By Special Arrangement With India STRATEGIC
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting laboratory on June 6 aboard the Boeing Starliner after lifting off on June 5 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During Starliner’s flight to the space station, engineers noticed some of the spacecraft’s thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks in Starliner’s helium system also were observed. Engineering teams at NASA and Boeing have since conducted several thruster tests and in-depth data reviews to better understand the spacecraft. While engineers work to resolve technical issues before Starliner’s return to Earth, the astronaut duo have been working with the Expedition 71 crew, performing scientific research and maintenance activities.
NASA now plans to conduct two reviews – a Program Control Board and an Agency Flight Readiness Review – before deciding how it will safely return Wilmore and Williams from the station. NASA expects to decide on the path forward by the end of August.
Here are some frequently asked questions about their mission.
About the Mission and Delay
What is NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test?
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launched on June 5, and is the first flight of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station with astronauts. The flight test aims to prove the system is ready for rotational missions to the space station. NASA wants two American spacecraft, in addition to the Roscosmos Soyuz spacecraft, capable of carrying astronauts to help ensure a permanent crew aboard the orbiting complex.
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