NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule

NASA decided Saturday it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule, and they'll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months.

The seasoned pilots have been stuck at the International Space Station since the beginning of June. A cascade of vexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule marred their trip to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the flight back.

After almost three months, the decision finally came down from NASA’s highest ranks on Saturday. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come back in a SpaceX capsule in February. Their empty Starliner capsule will undock in early September and attempt to return on autopilot with a touchdown in the New Mexico desert.

As Starliner’s test pilots, the pair should have overseen this critical last leg of the journey.

“A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The decision "is a result of a commitment to safety.”



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[MrCHAIRMANOFTHEBORED]

I hope that these 2 astronauts and their families sue the MOTHERF'ING HELL out of Boeing and perhaps NASA for this exponential breach of trust and safety, as they we're originally to be in space for 8 days and now it's likely to be 8 months and won't get back to their families until February, praying 🙏 for the astronauts and their families