NASA faces a critical decision this week regarding the safety of its human spaceflight program. The choice revolves around whether to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft or opt for a different vehicle. Their current mission has extended well beyond its initial one-week duration, raising concerns about the spacecraft’s safety.
Wilmore and Williams, who are on a test flight of Boeing’s Starliner launched on June 5, have encountered significant challenges. Originally, the mission was intended to last just over a week, but due to issues with the spacecraft, it has now stretched to nearly ten weeks. This situation has led to serious discussions within NASA about the safety of bringing them home on the Starliner.
Key decision-makers involved in this situation include Ken Bowersox and Steve Stich from NASA, along with Boeing’s LeRoy Cain. These individuals were significantly impacted by the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. While they were not directly responsible for the decisions that led to Columbia’s destruction, their experiences with the accident have deeply informed their current roles.
In 2003, Columbia’s reentry resulted in the tragic loss of seven astronauts due to a failure to address damage from foam insulation that struck the shuttle’s wing. Bowersox, Stich, and Cain were all involved in the aftermath of this disaster.
Bowersox, who was an astronaut at the time, had to return to Earth on a Russian Soyuz after the Shuttle fleet was grounded. Stich and Cain were both flight directors who witnessed the events and their devastating consequences.
Despite NASA’s attempts to reform its safety culture after the Challenger and Columbia accidents, human errors and organizational flaws persisted. The mishandling of safety concerns contributed to both tragedies, and these historical lessons weigh heavily on current decisions. NASA has since worked to enhance its safety protocols and to be more responsive to engineering dissent.
The current dilemma centers on whether to risk returning Wilmore and Williams aboard the Starliner, which has experienced thruster failures and helium leaks.
While the Starliner program’s future might benefit from a successful crewed return, there are still unresolved issues with the spacecraft’s performance. Engineers have not fully determined the causes of the thruster problems, adding to the uncertainty.
NASA has delayed a high-level meeting to review the spacecraft’s readiness due to ongoing concerns. Some at NASA believe that sending the astronauts back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule, despite potential disruptions, might be the safer option. This would ensure that Starliner’s issues are resolved before it is cleared for regular missions.
The decision on whether to use Starliner or SpaceX will ultimately be made by senior NASA officials, including Bowersox and potentially NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. If the decision to use Starliner is made, it will be crucial to ensure that all safety concerns are thoroughly addressed and that the spacecraft is fully prepared for the return journey.
Recent tests have shown continued issues with Starliner’s thrusters, leading to increased apprehension among NASA managers. The spacecraft’s return would require modifications to its flight software to enable safe undocking and reentry if it were to return without a crew.
If the decision is made to keep Wilmore and Williams on the space station until February, it would integrate them into the long-term crew, and they would return with the next SpaceX mission. This approach would allow more time to resolve Starliner’s issues but might involve significant adjustments to the space station’s crew schedules.
The historical context of past shuttle disasters and current technical uncertainties frame the decision-making process. While NASA has more information about Starliner’s issues than it had about Columbia’s damage, the potential risks still present a serious challenge. The decision will require balancing operational needs with the safety of the astronauts and the future of the spacecraft program.
