Extended Space Stay Raises Concerns for Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore | News9

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are facing an extended stay in space due to technical issues with their spacecraft, Starliner. Initially set to return to Earth within eight days, their mission has been delayed by over two months.

NASA is currently exploring options for a safe return. However, according to a CNBC report, there are several risks associated with their current situation. Rudy Ridolfi, a former commander of US military space systems, highlighted a concerning scenario where the astronauts could be left with less than four days of oxygen. This could occur if the Starliner, due to malfunctioning thrusters, attempts re-entry at an improper angle, causing it to bounce off the Earth’s atmosphere and remain in orbit.

Other risks include a potential failure of the spacecraft to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere due to misalignment, which could leave the Starliner stranded in space indefinitely.

Moreover, Ridolfi warned of a catastrophic outcome if the spacecraft re-enters at too steep an angle. In this case, the extreme friction and heat could cause the failure of Starliner's heat shield, leading to the spacecraft burning up upon re-entry and endangering the lives of the astronauts.

NASA is closely monitoring the situation, and efforts are underway to mitigate these risks and ensure the safe return of the crew.

#nasa #sunitawilliams #butchwilmore #internationalspacestation
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[patkelly]

She wasn’t chosen for her look that’s for sure

[mitsuomits]

I'll like to undertsand what really haplend, tehnologically speaking. Imagine if they experienced some issues with whatever malfunctioned in space. I'll try to find more information about this. I thought they were already back on earth😮

[angelobkoljenovic]

I’m going to predict that this is probably that she is pregnant as d they have to work on bringing back space born babies

[kingforaday]

I'll bet these two astronauts will have a lot of explaining to do when they get

And I dont mean to NASA and Boeing!!! 😊😊😊