NASA says the two astronaut test pilots who flew to orbit aboard the new Starliner, which was boosted by an Alabama built rocket, will not return to Earth aboard the new spacecraft. The space agency says astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain aboard the International Space Station until February. At that point, the two space veterans will return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule with other astronauts. The decision came down to uncertainty among NASA and engineers on whether Starliner was safe to return to Earth with the astronauts aboard.
“This whole discussion, remember, is put in the context of we have had mistakes done in the past,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We lost two space shuttles as a result of there not being a culture in which information could come forward.”
Back in 1986, Nelson flew as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives aboard space shuttle Columbia on mission STS-61C. That was last shuttle to fly before the 1986 Challenger accident that killed seven astronauts, including “Teacher In Space” Christa McAuliffe. In 2003, seven more astronauts were lost aboard Columbia in a separate accident. Nelson was a U.S. Senator at that time. He admits that his experience did influence how he saw the debate over whether return Wilmore and Williams on Starliner.
“Astronauts would get through with their flights, and they'd inspect the (space shuttle) orbiter. And as a matter of fact, my commander, (astronaut Robert) “Hoot” Gibson, (Nelson’s STS-61C mission in 1986) said he'd look at subsequent (shuttle) flights, and he would look like that a shotgun had been shot on the delicate silicon (heat protection) tiles because of so much of the foam shedding off of the external tank.”
Columbia was lost when foam insulation tore off the shuttle’s orange external fuel tank and struck a critical heat shield. Super hot gases from the fiery re-entry into the atmosphere poured through the damaged heat shield and catastrophically damaged the inside of the shuttle. It broke apart during the trip back to Earth, and the astronauts were killed.
“Space Flight is risky, even at its safety, safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight by nature, is neither safe nor routine,” said Nelson. “And so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety.”
Starliner docked to the ISS back in June. Even before the two spacecraft linked up, there were problems with the jet thrusters that have since dogged NASA and the Boeing Company that built the vehicle. Helium leaks and others issues with the jets raised too many questions on how the vehicle will behave during the fiery trip through Earth’s atmosphere to attempt landing with Wilmore and Williams on board.
The current plan is to undock Starliner unmanned in September. The capsule, nicknamed Calypso, is meant to enter the atmosphere, deploy parachutes and then inflate airbags to cushion the touchdown on solid ground. Former astronaut, and NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Flight, Ken Bowersox says tests done at the White Sands space facility in New Mexico showed that Starliner’s thrusters might dangerously overheat during the trip back.
“The White Sands (test) results, I thought were a gift,” said Bowersox. “It was just great to have that data, and I really thought it might help us. I've seen it with a few of our discussions where we have people in different camps on a risk decision. We gather more data, and then a piece of data comes in, and we come together, and everybody agrees that we take one path or the other.”
Alabama is watching the progress of Starliner closely. The gumdrop shaped crew capsule was boosted to orbit, back in June, by an Atlas-V rocket built at the United Launch Alliance factory in Decatur. It was the first time people have flown on an Atlas type booster since Astronaut Gordon Cooper flew aboard the “Faith 7” Mercury capsule in 1963. It was the last time an American went into space by himself.
Despite the issues and uncertainty surrounding Starliner, officials at United Launch Alliance point to a busy future for the Alabama factory. All of the company’s fifteen remaining Atlas-V rockets have been sold for future missions. NASA wants a total of six manned Starliner flights, which would be launched aboard Atlas-V’s. ULA says this type of rocket has had more than ninety launches, with a reported 100% success rate. The company is planning to transition to a new booster called Vulcan. ULA says seventy launches are scheduled using the new rocket. The list of customers reportedly includes Sierra Space, which is building and testing the new mini-shuttle called “Dream Chaser.” Starliner is also reportedly compatible with the Vulcan, as well as another ULA rocket, the Delta-IV, and the SpaceX Falcon.
NASA Administrator Nelson was asked if he believed that Starliner, and by extension Alabama’s Atlas-V rockets, will be used in the future to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
“100 percent,” Nelson responded.
