NASA has not yet been able to determine the timing of the return of the Boeing Starliner crew from the ISS to Earth, which has already been postponed several times due to technical problems. However, the agency said that NASA and Boeing engineers are trying to understand what is wrong with the spacecraft’s engines, and once the cause of the problems is found, a decision will be made to return the crew.
Image source: Boeing
Experts are currently evaluating the results of tests of the same engine as the Boeing Starliner, which were conducted last week at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in New Mexico. At the same time, the mission team is working on a plan to return the spacecraft crew from the ISS to Earth in the coming weeks.
The ground tests involved firing the Boeing Starliner rocket control engine used to perform maneuvers under conditions similar to those the spacecraft experienced on its way to the ISS. High-load launches were also carried out and simulated conditions ranging from undocking from the ISS to deorbiting the vehicle, where engines would fire to slow it down and deorbit for landing in the southwestern United States.
At a press conference last Thursday, a NASA spokesman said that the return date of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams is still unknown. Engineers will first disassemble the engine, which underwent ground testing in New Mexico, and analyze test data before giving the go-ahead for Starliner to return to Earth.
«We’ve collected a wealth of engine data that can help us better understand what’s happening in flight. And our team has begun disassembling and inspecting the engine, which will provide additional information when analyzing the results and assessing next steps,” said NASA Commercial Flight Program Manager Steve Stich.
Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams participate in experiments with the ISS crew. For example, last Monday they were scanning veins using the Ultrasound 2 device.