In the vastness of space, two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are experiencing an unprecedented challenge. The Boeing "Starliner" they were on was supposed to be a short trip, but it unexpectedly turned into a "space drift".
At the beginning, Boeing's "Starliner" was expected to be an important attempt not only by Boeing in the field of manned spaceflight, but also a key part of NASA's commercial manned program. However, from launch to docking, and now to return, the road has been full of twists and turns, which makes people sweat for the two astronauts.
Not so long ago, the "Starliner" had a helium leak during the launch, which made people start to question the safety of the spacecraft. Fortunately, the technicians eliminated the fault in time, and the spacecraft was successfully launched and docked with the International Space Station. But no one could have imagined that this was only the beginning of the problem.
After docking, the astronauts had planned to stay on the space station for eight days for testing before returning to Earth. However, plans don't always keep up with changes. The ship malfunctioned again, and in addition to the previous helium leak problem, there was also a thruster failure. This series of problems led to repeated postponements of the return mission, leaving the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in the distant distance.
Faced with this situation, NASA had to announce the continuation of the postponement of the return. According to the latest news, the spacecraft will stay in space for a while longer, and is expected to return on June 26. But even when it comes to this date, there is no guarantee that everything will go well. Because Boeing spacecraft also needs to solve the problem of whether the thermal shield can withstand the high temperatures when passing through the atmosphere. This is a major issue concerning the safety of astronauts' lives, and there is no room for error.
If these issues cannot be solved, NASA may consider using a Dragon spacecraft that has been proven to be stable to bring back the astronauts. While this option is possible, it undoubtedly puts a lot of pressure on Boeing.
The Starliner mission is not only about Boeing's reputation, but also about the ISS mission. Once the spacecraft successfully returns, Boeing will become one of the contenders for manned missions around the world. However, the outlook is not promising. Boeing has lost its first-mover advantage and faces a number of challenges.
One of the biggest challenges is the supply of Russian-made RD-180 liquid oxygen kerosene engines for the Atlas 5 launch vehicle. Due to changes in the international situation, the United States has been unable to continue to import this engine, and the inventory is limited. Without a suitable replacement, Boeing's future is in jeopardy.
In addition, the problems exposed by the Boeing spacecraft during this mission also raise questions about the maturity of its technology. Although Boeing has a wealth of experience and technology in the aerospace field, the performance of this mission is indeed not satisfactory.
Of course, we cannot ignore the efforts and attempts made by Boeing in the face of difficulties. They are actively looking for solutions and are fully cooperating with NASA. We expect Boeing to resolve these issues as soon as possible to ensure the safe return of the astronauts.
In short, the mission of the "starliner" can be described as full of twists and turns, which makes people sweat for the safety of astronauts. However, it is precisely these challenges and difficulties that have further highlighted the greatness and difficulty of the aerospace industry. We hope that Boeing will rise to the challenge and make greater contributions to the future manned space industry.
Finally, we would like to ask: Do you think Boeing will succeed in solving these problems? Will the astronauts be able to return to Earth safely? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss, let's pay attention to the latest developments of this "most difficult astronaut crew in history"!