This American spaceship is really disturbing! The "Starliner" spacecraft, which was launched to the International Space Station on June 4, was originally planned to take two astronauts to the International Space Station for a walk, and then go home safely. As a result, the spacecraft has been plagued by various glitches since its launch.
First of all, it was originally scheduled to go to the sky on May 6, but it was postponed because of a problem with an oxygen safety valve on the rocket. Later, it was finally set for May 17, but I didn't expect the propellant to leak again, so it was postponed again. This spaceship is like tinkering with life, and it always keeps the engineers idle.
Finally, it was successfully launched on June 5 and docked with the International Space Station, but the problems are still endless. In fact, just after the launch, engineers discovered that there was a helium leak in the propulsion system of the Starliner spacecraft.
Helium is the "heart" of the spaceship, and without it it is equivalent to a large toy, after all, how can it fly without power? To make matters worse, when the spacecraft docked with the space station, all 5 thrusters failed! Fortunately, the engineers were able to repair 4 of them.
But now, the ship's helium leak has not been solved, and another oxidizer separator valve has failed. Seeing that the spacecraft was always in trouble, everyone began to worry about the two astronauts, whether they could go home smoothly?
But it's really a house leak that happened to rain overnight! On June 12, Reuters and The Guardian reported that there was an audio that was suddenly broadcast in NASA's live broadcast, so a new hot search was born, that is: NASA's live broadcast went wrong!
At half past five p.m. Central Time on the 12th, everyone was waiting to watch the dynamic live broadcast of the space station, but the live broadcast was suddenly "temporarily interrupted", leaving everyone confused. After a while, the live channel actually broadcast an audio of the astronaut's emergency treatment.
The audio shows a flight surgeon claiming to work at SpaceX's Mission Control Center in Hawthorne, Calif., instructing people on the space station to treat a "commander" for decompression disorder. Everyone quickly asked the commander to put on a spacesuit and seal it, and then give him hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and especially told him to check his pulse. The doctor was also worried that the commander's decompression symptoms were severe, and asked everyone to act quickly.
Listening to the audio, it felt like the commander was not doing well, and the doctor said that his prognosis was quite fragile. As soon as the audio was broadcast, social media exploded, and everyone thought that something big had happened to the space station.
However, the International Space Station officials later came out to clarify that the audio was actually a recording of a simulated medical exercise, not a real emergency. And further explained: At that time, the astronauts on the space station were sleeping and preparing for the next day's spacewalk. SpaceX also said that it was one of their tests in California, and everyone was fine.
Although the interruption of the live broadcast and the misbroadcast of the audio caused a false alarm, the originally planned spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on the 13th still did not take place. It was the second spacewalk of the year and the 90th in NASA's 23-year history on the space station. The successive events have led to a renewed focus on whether the ship will be able to return home on time.
The spacecraft was originally scheduled to return to Earth from the space station on June 18. But after all, this "starliner" spacecraft belongs to "insisting on working while sick", perhaps for safety reasons, or it may be that the maintenance work has not yet ended, on June 18, NASA once again said that the spacecraft will leave the International Space Station no earlier than June 25 EST. That is, the return of the Starliner spaceship, again postponed.
According to a report by the American "Space" news network on June 22, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on the 21st that the return of Boeing's new manned spacecraft "Starliner" from the International Space Station to Earth was postponed to no earlier than July 2, about a week later than the original plan of June 26. The explanation given was to allow sufficient time to review the helium leak and the technical problems faced by the thrusters.
From June 18, it was postponed again and again to July 2. It seems that the problem is really not small!
Some people may ask: Can our Shenzhou-19 spacecraft do a favor and bring back American astronauts?
Uncle Circle told everyone the truth, this matter is not so simple.
First of all, technically speaking, the interface of our Shenzhou spacecraft is different from that of the International Space Station, just like the charger we use does not match the interface of the mobile phone.
Besides, although Shenzhou 19 is on standby now, it is mainly for the astronauts of Shenzhou 18 to escort, where is the time to pick up others? If there is a real need for rescue, it may have to wait for the Shenzhou 20 later.
Having said that, although it is a bit difficult from a technical point of view, we Chinese have always been humane. If the U.S. side really needs help, we're willing to lend a hand. But then again, the United States' own space technology is also very good, and it is estimated that they can solve these problems on their own. I believe NASA and Boeing can handle this matter. After all, the safety of astronauts is a big matter, and no one dares to be sloppy.
Speaking of which, I have to remind you that although space exploration is exciting and sci-fi, the risks and challenges behind it are also enormous. Every time a spacecraft goes into the sky and every time an astronaut leaves the capsule, it is a double test of technology and humanity. Therefore, we should cherish and respect these people who have made efforts for mankind to explore the unknown world. You're right?