The crew of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft said Wednesday they are confident the capsule will return them safely to Earth at the end of their extended stay aboard the International Space Station, despite helium leaks in the ship’s propulsion system and problems with the maneuver. of the propellants.
Released on June 5th, commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams originally expected to spend about eight days in space, putting the Starliner to the test in the craft’s first piloted test flight.
But helium leaks and thruster problems have prompted NASA to indefinitely extend its stay aboard the space station — Wednesday marked its 35th day in orbit — while engineers conduct tests and analyzes to better understand what caused the problems and to ensure the spacecraft can fly safely. with Wilmore and Williams at home.
About that, NASA insists the crew is not “trapped” in space, and both Wilmore and Williams, speaking to reporters for the first time since the release, appeared to agree with that assessment.
“I think where we are now, and what we know now, and how the spacecraft flew as it approached to dock, I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we could get in.” our spacecraft and undock, talk to our team and figure out the best way to get home,” Williams said.
“I have a really good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will get us home, no problem,” she added. “We’re learning now to optimize our specific situation and make sure we know everything about it.”
Asked about his faith in Starliner, Wilmore said “we are absolutely confident.”
“We’re actually doing propellant testing as we speak in White Sands, New Mexico, trying to replicate (the problems) we saw when we were meeting,” he said. “And we’re going to learn from it. And we’re going to incorporate new processes, new procedures that we’ll employ if necessary.”
But just in case, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said the team “dusted off” plans originally developed when the Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the station developed a leak. of soda.
In this case, preliminary plans were drawn up to possibly drop Rubio in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule if the worst happened. Ultimately, the Russians launched a replacement Soyuz and these plans were not necessary.
“In this case, we decided to use the Dragon as a contingency return option for Frank…to use her as a lifeboat,” Stich said. “We had a Frank setup in the Dragon middeck. I mean, we certainly dusted off some of these things to look at in relation to Starliner, just to be prepared.
“But again, our main option is to return Butch to Suni on the Starliner. … We’re a long way from where we were with Soyuz. We just want to understand the thrusters a little more before we commit to the ultimate undocking and return.”
“Having a lot of fun” in orbit after multiple delays
Meanwhile, Williams said she and Wilmore were enjoying the extra time in space.
“We are having so much fun here on the ISS,” she said. “You know, Butch and I have been here before, and it feels like… coming home. It’s good to float. It’s good to be in space and work here with the International Space Station team.
“So yeah, it’s great to be here,” she said. “So I’m not complaining, Butch’s not complaining that we’re going to be here for a few more weeks.”
Four years late, Starliner was launched on June 5, a month later than planned due to minor problems with the crew’s Atlas 5 booster, problems with a countdown computer and due to a small helium leak in the flight module. capsule rear service. Helium is used to pressurize the Starliner’s propulsion system so the jets can fire as needed.
After extensive analysis, NASA and Boeing managers decided that the leak was not a safety threat and the Starliner was cleared for launch as is.
Once in orbit and on the way to the space station, however, four more helium leaks occurred. Additionally, the Starliner’s flight computer shut down several aft-facing maneuvering jets when telemetry did not match preset operating parameters.
One booster was deemed unusable in the future, but the others were later successfully tested. This “hot fire” test gave engineers confidence that the jets needed for post-docking maneuvers and to keep Starliner stable during the rocket’s critical firing out of orbit will function as needed to prepare the spacecraft for reentry.
The thrusters in question were facing the sun during long stretches of the Starliner’s approach to the station and engineers suspect that the problems faced previously were related to the high temperatures and rapidity of firing during final approach. They are trying to duplicate these conditions in soil tests.
As for helium leaks, the propulsion system is not used while docked to the space station. The system was pressurized for the hot fire test, but otherwise the valves were closed as always planned to isolate the helium tanks, eliminating additional leaks.
The system will be repressurized for release to enable the necessary maneuvers to get home. But engineers said there is 10 times more helium in the tanks than needed for the return trip, providing a comfortable margin even if any of the known leaks worsen.
“I anticipate that we will still do testing before we undock, in fact, we will first open the helium valves and then, after we undock, to make sure that everything is working correctly as planned from what they discovered during the thruster tests,” Williams said. . “So I have confidence, Butch has confidence.”
All of the hardware in question is located in the Starliner’s service module, which is jettisoned just before atmospheric entry. As such, engineers will never be able to examine the equipment firsthand. Williams said it only made sense to extend the mission to do as many tests as possible before returning home.
“If we went home, we would lose the SM (service module) and we wouldn’t be able to go through all these tests and understand about our spacecraft,” she said.
Stich did not say when the crew might be cleared to undock. The Crew Dragon’s next crew rotation flight is scheduled to launch in mid-August and “a few days before that launch opportunity, we would need to fly Butch and Suni home in the Starliner.”
“So this is kind of the back end,” he said. “We are really working to try to follow the data and see when is the earliest possible time to undock and land. I think some of the data suggests, perhaps optimistically, that it will be late July. just follow the data (and) figure out when the right opportunity to disengage is.”
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