NASA’s newly returned astronauts say they would fly on Boeing’s Starliner capsule again

Cape Canaveral, Apr 1: NASA’s celebrity astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said Monday that they hold themselves partly responsible for what went wrong on their space sprint-turned-marathon and would fly on Boeing’s Starliner again.

SpaceX recently ferried the duo home after more than nine months at the International Space Station, filling in for Boeing that returned to Earth without them last year.

In their first news conference since coming home, the pair said they were taken aback by all the interest and insisted they were only doing their job and putting the mission ahead of themselves and even their families.

Wilmore didn’t shy from accepting some of the blame for Boeing’s bungled test flight.

“I’ll start and point the finger and I’ll blame me. I could have asked some questions and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide,” he told reporters. “All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this.”

Both astronauts said they would strap into Starliner again. “Because we’re going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. We’re going to fix them. We’re going to make it work,” Wilmore said, adding he’d go back up “in a heartbeat.”

Williams noted that Starliner has “a lot of capability” and she wants to see it succeed. “We’re all in,” she said.

The two will meet with Boeing leadership on Wednesday to provide a rundown on the flight and its problems.

“It’s not for pointing fingers,” Wilmore said. “It’s just to make the path clearer going forward.”

The longtime astronauts and retired Navy captains ended up spending 286 days in space — 278 days more than planned when they blasted off on Boeing’s first astronaut flight on June 5. The test pilots had to intervene in order for the Starliner capsule to reach the space station, as thrusters failed and helium leaked.

Their space station stay kept getting extended as engineers debated how to proceed. NASA finally judged Starliner too dangerous to bring Wilmore and Williams back and transferred them to SpaceX. But the launch of their replacements got stalled, stretching their mission beyond nine months.

President Donald Trump urged SpaceX’s Elon Musk to hurry things up, adding politics to the stuck astronauts’ ordeal. The dragged-out drama finally ended two weeks ago with a flawless splashdown by SpaceX off the Florida Panhandle.

“It’s great being back home after being up there,” Williams told The Associated Press in an interview. She waited until she was steadier on her feet before reuniting with her two Labrador retrievers the day after splashdown. “Pure joy.”

Wilmore already has a to-do list. His wife wants to replace all the shrubs in their yard before summer. “So I’ve got to get my body ready to dig holes,” he told the AP.

NASA said engineers still do not understand why Starliner’s thrusters malfunctioned; more tests are planned through the summer. If engineers can figure out the thruster and leak issues, “Starliner is ready to go,” Wilmore said.

The space agency may require another test flight — with cargo — before allowing astronauts to climb aboard. That redo could come by year’s end.

Despite Starliner’s rocky road, NASA officials said they stand behind the decision made years ago to have two competing US companies providing taxi service to and from the space station. But time is running out: The space station is set to be abandoned in five years and replaced in orbit by privately operated labs. (AP)

Hot this week

Pay hike of Assam ministers, MLAs likely as 3-member panel submits report

Full report likely by Oct 30 Guwahati Sept 25: There...

Meghalaya Biological Park Inaugurated After 25 Years: A New Chapter in Conservation and Education

Shillong, Nov 28: Though it took nearly 25 years...

Meghalaya man missing in Bangkok

Shillong, Jan 10: A 57-year-old Meghalaya resident, Mr. Treactchell...

ANSAM rejects Kuki’s separate administration demand, says bifurcation not acceptable

Guwahati, Sept 8: Rejecting the separate administration demand of...

Meghalaya’s historic fiber paves the way for eco-friendly products and sustainable livelihoods

By Roopak Goswami Shillong, Oct 25: From making earbuds to...

Bengal: Three family members killed in Asansol house fire

Kolkata, June 29: Three members of a family were...

NTPC’s Bongaigaon plant awarded for healthcare promotion, environment protection

Guwahati, June 29: State-run power major NTPC Limited's Bongaigaon...

Diksha Dagar in top 10 after three rounds in German Masters

Hamburg (Germany), June 29: Diksha Dagar held onto her...

India has set USD 1 bn turmeric export target by 2030: Union Minister Amit Shah

Hyderabad, June 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on...

UK police reviewing rapper’s anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury Festival

London, June 29: British police said they were examining...

Trump calls for deal on war in Gaza as signs of progress emerge

Tel Aviv, June 29: US President Donald Trump on...

162 students trapped in inundated residential school in Jharkhand after heavy rain rescued

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), June 29: At least 162 students trapped...

5.3 magnitude quake hits Pakistan; 5 people injured

Karachi, June 29: At least five people were injured...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img