Overdue NASA astronauts now headed home on Tuesday
Following the SpaceX Crew 10 arrival at the International Space Station on Saturday, veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are now just hours away from the beginning of their return trip to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule that's been docked at the space station since last fall.
Wilmore and Williams rocketed into space last June for an expected one-week stay on the International Space Station. But a slew of technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spaceship that Wilmore and Williams flew to the station on the craft's debut crewed mission led to a decision to keep them in space as Starliner returned to Earth empty last September.
Later that month, a modified SpaceX Crew 9 mission arrived at the space station with two astronauts aboard and two empty seats to bring Wilmore and Williams back home.
A decision to bring Wilmore and Williams home early aboard the Crew 9 ship ahead of Crew 10's arrival would have left NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who flew to the International Space Station with a Russian crew last September, as the only American aboard the station, a rare staffing imbalance that NASA has said complicates maintenance of the station's U.S. components.
'Sure, it could have taken us home, but that leaves only three people on the space station from the Soyuz crew, two Russians and one American,' Williams told CBS News in an in-flight interview. 'And, you know, the space station is big. It's a building, you know, it's the size of a football field. Things happen.'
If all goes to plan, the Crew 9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Williams and Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are expected to depart the space station at 11:05 p.m. MDT Monday. NASA moved the return flight up a day to bring the crew back to Earth ahead of an anticipated weather system headed for the Florida coast.
'NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida's coast for the return of the agency's Crew 9 mission from the International Space Station,' NASA wrote in a Sunday press release. 'Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew 9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18.'
NASA will carry live coverage of the undocking procedure beginning at 10:45 p.m. MDT Monday. Video coverage will resume at 2:45 p.m. MDT Tuesday ahead of Crew 9's expected splashdown in the waters off Florida at approximately 3:57 p.m. MDT.
Problems with the flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule arose early on when five of 28 maneuvering thrusters failed to perform as expected during the ship's docking at the space station on June 6, 2024. Engineers also identified five small helium leaks, some of which were detected before the spacecraft launched. Helium is used in the capsule's thruster firing procedure.
Engineering teams spent months working to identify the underlying issues with the thrusters, critical for maneuvering and positioning the spacecraft, including reviewing massive amounts of data, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts and developing various return contingency plans, NASA reported last year.
But ultimately NASA decided that ongoing uncertainty and a lack of concurrence at the time among engineers and other experts about resolving the Starliner problems 'does not meet the agency's safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the (SpaceX Dragon) Crew 9 mission.'
The Starliner capsule returned to Earth empty last Sept. 6 following a six-hour flight that did not encounter any issues.
Later that month, the SpaceX Crew 9 mission docked at the International Space Station, with only two astronauts aboard and plans to fill the remaining seats in the four-passenger capsule with Williams and Wilmore for a return flight scheduled, at the time, for February 2025.
On Dec. 17, NASA announced it was delaying the SpaceX Crew 10 mission launch and the expected crew handoff that would have marked the end of Williams' and Wilmore's time at the space station. NASA said the delay would push out the Crew 9-Crew 10 handoff to late March 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
NASA, SpaceX punch through weather threat for Crew-11 launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX was back one day after a weather-related scrub and threaded the needle amid threatening clouds to send up the Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Crew Dragon Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A at 11:43 a.m. Eastern time carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to space. 'I have no emotions but joy right now. That was absolutely transcendent — ride of a lifetime,' said Cardman, making her first trip to space. 'Boy, it's great to be back in orbit again,' Fincke added as he returned for his fourth trip to orbit. 'Thank you to SpaceX and NASA to get us here. What a ride.' The first-stage booster for this mission made its third flight and touched back down for what was SpaceX's final use of Landing Zone 1 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station sending a sonic boom across the Space Coast. The quartet shot through a break amid darkening clouds and into space. The previous day, they had their launch scrubbed with one minute and seven seconds on the countdown clock when a storm cell opened up right over the pad. They actually had to put on raincoats over their spacesuits as they made their way out of the capsule for what turned out to be just a one-day delay. The quartet, who arrived to KSC on Saturday, were back Friday getting prepped for launch, donning their spacesuits after 7 a.m. at the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building. They made their walkout after 8 a.m. to ride over to launch pad in black Teslas with license plates that read 'Live,' 'Laugh' and 'Launch.' By 9 a.m. the had made their way up the launch tower to climb back on board their spacecraft. With an hour to go, all were prepped in their seats with the hatch closed awaiting fueling and arming of the launch escape system. When it does launch, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said it will be groundbreaking for NASA use of a commercial spacecraft. 'We worked very hard with SpaceX to complete all the reuse activities for this vehicle. We had certified the vehicles — the Dragons — for only five flights. Now, we've completed all that work, and we're really ready to go,' he said. It was the same Crew Dragon that flew the first astronauts for SpaceX back in 2020, now part of a stable of five crew-capable Dragons. With Crew-11's launch, SpaceX will have flown 74 humans across 19 missions in just over five years. The mission will relieve the Crew-10 members who have been on board the space station since mid-March, but won't undock until they complete a short handover period during with the space station population will grow from seven to 11. Crew-11 is targeting docking with the station around 3 a.m. Saturday after a 16-hour trip. The crew will be on the station for at least six months, but NASA could stretch the mission to as long as eight months. For its members, Cardman and Platonov are rookies while Yui is making his second trip having flown to the station a decade ago, and Fincke is making his fourth trip to space having last flown to the station as part STS-134, the last flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, as well as two previous missions on Soyuz spacecraft. Cardman had originally been tapped to command the Crew-9 mission, but was bumped after NASA needed space on board to allow for the return flight to the two Boeing Starliner astronauts that were left behind on the station when their spacecraft was sent home without crew because of safety concerns. Fincke and Yui had both been training to fly future crewed missions of Starliner, but were shifted to this SpaceX mission as Boeing's beleaguered spacecraft continues to face delays. With their arrival to the station, the orbiting laboratory will have welcomed 290 people from 26 nations. The station will mark 25 years of continuous human presence in November having began Expedition 1 in 2020. The Crew-11 crew will become of Expedition 73 when they arrive and continue on as part of Expedition 74 that begins in November when the next replacement crew from Russia arrives. _____ Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
Support for NASA returning to the moon and going to Mars is surging
A recent poll conducted by CBS News provides an encouraging look into public support for the Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars. Sixty-seven percent of respondents favor a return to the moon and just 33 percent oppose one. On Mars, sixty-five percent favor sending astronauts to the red planet with 35 percent in opposition. Support for sending astronauts back to the moon tracks favorably among all age groups, with 71 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds in favor. The current favorable view of the Artemis program contrasts with what people thought of the Apollo program to land men on the moon while it was ongoing. As space historian Roger Launius pointed out, most Americans, with the exception of one poll taken in July 1969, took a dim view of going to the moon. 'Consistently throughout the decade, 45-60 percent of Americans believed that the government was spending too much on space, indicative of a lack of commitment to the spaceflight agenda,' Launius wrote. Incidentally, the CBS News poll shows that now Americans believe that the Apollo program was worth the effort, 77 to 23 percent. The findings were consistent with those taken on the 50th and 40th anniversaries of the first moon landing. The fact that support for going back to the moon and on to Mars is uniform across all age groups jumps out. In times past, some have suggested that supporters for sending astronauts beyond low Earth orbit mainly consisted of boomers nostalgic for the glories of the Apollo program. If that was ever the case, it isn't any longer. Laura Seward Forczyk, a space career consultant, video blogger and author of ' Rise of the Space Age Millennials,' likely spoke for a lot of younger people on X when she posted, 'I hope to live to see humans walking on another world again. Artemis III can't come soon enough.' Her sentiment expresses a desire for something beautiful and glorious in a world often ugly and dispiriting. Come to think of it, that was the Apollo 11 moon landing in the midst of the turmoil of the 1960s. A lot of famous space influencers, such as former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, billionaire private space traveler Jared Isaacman, video blogger Eliana Sheriff and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk were not alive when men first walked on the moon. One word of caution should be made about how poll results can often be influenced by question-wording. In 2023, the Pew organization released a poll suggesting that returning to the moon and on to Mars were of lower priority than things like asteroid detection and measuring climate change. Nevertheless, when combining the answers 'top priority' and 'important but lower priority' space exploration still enjoyed healthy support, with 57 percent favoring a return to the moon and 56 percent going to Mars. People are looking forward to witnessing the first footsteps on the moon in over 50 years and the first ever on Mars. Donald Trump was the latest president of the United States to make that promise when he started the Artemis program during his first term. Now, he has to deliver. Unfortunately, President Trump is in serious danger of blowing it. Over six months into his second administration, America still does not have a permanent NASA administrator, thanks to Trump's capricious, last-minute withdrawal of Isaacman's nomination. The White House and the Congress are wrangling over NASA science funding and how long the space agency should retain the Orion Space Launch System architecture for returning to the moon. Trump needs to move quickly to nominate a permanent head of NASA. He could change his mind again about Isaacman, though he may be loath to admit to making a mistake. The White House also needs to reestablish the National Space Council as a center for the formulation of space policy. The council performed great service during the first Trump administration. It can do so again. Finally, Trump and Musk should resolve their feud. The most powerful man in the world and the world's richest man work better together than at cross purposes. Trump has won some great domestic and foreign policy victories. It will be a pity if his legacy is one of letting China get back to the moon before we do. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled ' Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? ' as well as ' The Moon, Mars and Beyond ' and, most recently, ' Why is America Going Back to the Moon? ' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
American Press
6 hours ago
- American Press
Building solar-powered rovers, making slime part of NASA Astro Camp experience
Youth in Allen Parish are currently immersed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning at NASA Astro Camp, engaging in experiments and hands-on activities that are inspiring their curiosity. Students in grades 4-8 have been working to build solar-powered rovers, create a heliometer, grow plants in space and make slime in bags as part of the weeklong NASA Astro Camp at the district's new Pathway learning center in Oberlin. Oakdale High School biology teacher Chiara Crawford said the program incorporates real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as problem-solving skills. It also focuses on developing critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. 'They are learning about space, but they are also learning engineering type skills, how to deal with screws, wires, motors and making circuits,' Crawford said. 'These are skills they can use in science and everyday life.' She also stressed the importance of problem-solving, noting that it is crucial for students to understand that setbacks are not insurmountable and that they can develop the skills to overcome challenges without becoming frustrated. Crawford also hopes the camp will open the students' eyes to space and science and get them excited about science in the classroom. Instructional Support Supervisor LaDeisha George hopes the camp will inspire the students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 'Hopefully if nothing else there is an awareness and that they are excited about the possibilities, opportunities and fields of study that exist with STEM,' George said, adding that programs like the Astro Camp help raise an awareness and understanding of the skills that can lead to future careers. George noted that Allen Parish is within driving distance of NASA facilities in Houston, Mississippi and Florida. 'A lot of them don't know what they can do and what's out there for them,' George said. Twelve-year-old Bentley Sweat, a seventh grader, who likes to build things, said he is having a blast at the camp. 'My favorite thing was building the solar-powered rover because I like to see how things move using very simple things,' Sweat said. Sweat increased the power to his rover by taking the motor from a remote control car. Harley Perkins, 13, an eighth grader at Oberlin High School, said the camp was perfect because she likes figuring out how things work and how to build things. 'I like science because it's interesting to learn different things,' she said, adding that she wants to be a teacher. Ten-year-old Hoyt Davis, a sixth grader at Oberlin Elementary School, said the camp is helping him learn about engineering and how to build a solar-powered rover. Classmate Brayden Martin, 12, has been enjoying learning how astronauts grow plants in space For 12-year-old Lennox All, a sixth grader at Kinder Middle School, making the slime was the best part because it was messy.
