If you’ve been tuning into the recent news, perhaps you’re aware that NASA recently made the difficult decision to delay bringing astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) home on Boeing’s Starliner capsule. The reason? Safety concerns. The spacecraft encountered several technical issues that teams on the ground simply couldn’t overlook.
As a result, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been instructed to remain in orbit – at least until a pod from SpaceX, a longtime NASA collaborator, can come to rescue them come 2025. But just what occurred with Boeing’s Starliner project that has rendered it so unfit for the current task?
What’s Going Wrong with the Starliner?
The propulsion and parachute systems are the Starliner’s main issues. The propulsion system controls the spacecraft’s movements in space, using puffs of volatile gas, or propellant, to make minute changes in orientation. It’s a crucial system during docking with the ISS and when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Unfortunately, some of the thrusters haven’t been firing as expected, predominantly due to leaks in the helium tanks.
This is problematic for the craft, as the helium gas pressure is used to push the propellant out of the ship. Imagine trying to steer a car, but the steering wheel only works part of the time, and unpredictably so. That’s the nature of many of Starliner’s issues.
