[Dormant] moved to [email protected]

10598 readers

1 users here now

This community is dormant, please find us at [email protected]

You can find the original sidebar contents below:

Rules

Be respectful and inclusive.
No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
Engage in constructive discussions.
Share relevant content.
Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
Use appropriate language and tone.
Report violations.
Foster a continuous learning environment.

Picture of the Day

The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula

Related Communities

🔭 Science

🚀 Engineering

🌌 Art and Photography

Other Cool Links

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

222

NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule (apnews.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

36 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Well, technically they're stuck, because I don't think there's enough seats to get everyone home without the Boeing capsule, until a SpaceX one arrives in 6 months.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Yes, there's currently more crew than seats if you exclude the Starliner. In an emergency, I'm sure they could strap Wilmore and Williams into the Crew Dragon and/or Soyuz MS capsules somewhere, if they really had to. NASA likes to run every possible scenario, so I'm sure they already have a contingency plan for that.

Assuming they don't want to use the Starliner capsule for some reason. I haven't heard of any actual risk with using it.

Edit: I decided to actually read the article. They'd squeeze them into the Crew Dragon if they had to. And the problem with the Starliner isn't just helium leaks like I'd heard, it's also thruster seals swelling and blocking their own propellant. Thrusters are kind of important for attitude control.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Their backup plan is to have the extra 2 astronauts lie on the floor of the Crew Dragon and reenter without suits. Yep. That's still safer than Starliner.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They will have suits. There is a spare on the ISS, and Dragon will bring another one up. They covered that in the press conference.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I meant for the 3 weeks between when Starliner leaves and the Crew 9 Dragon gets there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

until a SpaceX one arrives in 6 months

Quick correction, the SpaceX Crew-9 is scheduled to depart in 6 months. It will arrive (with two empty seats) in September. So Suni and Butch will only be "stuck" for the few days between when Starliner undocks and when the Crew-9 capsule arrives.