All posts tagged: astronauts

Stranded NASA astronauts send Christmas message from space | Science, Climate & Tech News

Stranded NASA astronauts send Christmas message from space | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Astronauts stranded on the International Space Station over Christmas have sent a festive message back to Earth. Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Don Pettit and Nick Hague were launched into space on 5 June on what was due to be an eight-day test flight mission. But the Boeing-made Starliner spacecraft suffered several technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, and has been unable to return since. In the video message, recorded on 23 December, Mr Hague says: “The holiday season, it’s about spending time with friends and family and loved ones – this year we’re going to be in orbit away from them, so we want to send our heartfelt merry Christmas and we hope you have a wonderful holiday.” Read more:Fastest object ever built orbits close to sunTesla recalls 700,000 cars over fault In the clip, the astronauts pass each other weightless candy canes, with Mr Hague adding: “We’re not the only ones who are going to spend time away from our families. “There’s a huge team on the ground that’s going to support …

NASA Postpones Return of Stranded Starliner Astronauts to March

NASA Postpones Return of Stranded Starliner Astronauts to March

Published by skeptic

NASA has again postponed the return to Earth of Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after Boeing’s Starliner capsule malfunctioned in the middle of this year. The crew of the spacecraft arrived at the ISS in June. The objective was to test the Starliner’s comprehensive capabilities, including launch, docking, and return systems. The mission was scheduled to last one week. Five of the capsule’s 28 thrusters failed to function before docking with the ISS. Boeing claimed that its technology could guarantee the safe return of the astronauts. However, NASA expressed doubts and concluded that the risk was too high. The agency entrusted the task to SpaceX. Elon Musk’s company launched the Crew-9 mission in September to, among other things, return Williams and Wilmore. Until now, the stalled astronauts were scheduled to return in February aboard the Crew Dragon rocket. However, NASA has announced that it expects the expedition to return to Earth’s surface after the arrival of Crew-10, which will be sent in late March 2025 at the …

Stranded astronauts say space is ‘happy place’ – but admit ‘tough times’ | World News

Stranded astronauts say space is ‘happy place’ – but admit ‘tough times’ | World News

Published by skeptic

Two astronauts who are set to be stuck in space for eight months have said the International Space Station is now their “happy place” but admitted to “tough times”. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said in a press conference on Friday that it was hard to watch their Boeing Starliner capsule return to Earth without them last week – but said they do not feel let down by the company. The pair expected to be in space for eight days but will remain there until 2025 after NASA determined the problem-plagued capsule posed too much risk for them to return to Earth. Image: Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore before lift-off in June. Pic: AP The two Starliner test pilots – both retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts – will now be staying at the space station until late February. “That’s how it goes in this business,” said Ms Williams, adding that “you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity”. Mr Wilmore said: “It’s been quite an evolution over the last …

Four private astronauts conduct the first commercial spacewalk : NPR

Four private astronauts conduct the first commercial spacewalk : NPR

Published by Sam

NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel fills us in on the first private spacewalk, which took place this morning. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: This morning, the private company SpaceX has completed the first commercial spacewalk. Here’s NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel, who sent this voice memo. GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: This was definitely one of the most technically challenging missions SpaceX has tried, but it seemed to go according to plan. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who paid for this flight, opened the hatch. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) JARED ISAACMAN: Hatch open. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: SpaceX copies, hatch open. BRUMFIEL: He went outside, got a nice look at Earth, spent about 10 minutes out there, and then it was SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis’ turn. She went out, came back inside, and sealed it up. It’s a big win for SpaceX. They’re hoping that their suits can someday be used to carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a …

Two astronauts left behind on ISS as troubled Boeing Starliner capsule lands on Earth empty | Science & Tech News

Two astronauts left behind on ISS as troubled Boeing Starliner capsule lands on Earth empty | Science & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has been plagued with problems, has returned to Earth, leaving two astronauts behind on the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft – running on autopilot – parachuted into the New Mexico desert six hours after setting out. Cameras caught the capsule as a white streak coming in for the touchdown at 11.01pm local time (5.01am on Saturday UK time), which drew cheers from Boeing’s Mission Control. NASA judged it too risky for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to get back into the spacecraft. It means they’ll remain on the ISS until February, more than eight months after blasting off on what should have been a quick trip lasting just eight days. Shortly after Boeing’s long-delayed capsule was launched in orbit in June, issues were spotted before it arrived at the space station involving multiple thruster failures and propulsion-system helium leaks. Image: The Starliner spacecraft landed empty at White Sands, New Mexico. Pic: AP/Nasa Image: The capsule was checked after landing. Pic: AP/Nasa Boeing carried out extensive thruster tests in space and …

NASA Admits “Tension in the Room” as It Told Boeing Starliner Couldn’t Return Astronauts to Earth

NASA Admits “Tension in the Room” as It Told Boeing Starliner Couldn’t Return Astronauts to Earth

Published by José

Is this the understatement of the year? Difference of Opinion Amid the ongoing Starliner breakdown fiasco, NASA has admitted that there’s been a bit of “tension” between its officials and their counterparts at Boeing. As highlighted by Space.com, the head of the agency’s commercial crew program said during a press briefing earlier this week that the decision to bring the ailing Boeing capsule back to Earth sans its stranded crew was not met with enthusiasm from the embattled aerospace contractor. According to commercial crew director Steve Stich, Boeing doesn’t necessarily agree with NASA’s assessment that the issues with Starliner’s thrusters and docking modules with the International Space Station make it too unsafe to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth when the craft returns this week. “Boeing believed in the model that they had created to predict thruster degradation for the rest of the flight,” Stich said during the briefing. “The NASA team looked at the model and saw some limitation. It really had to do with, do we have confidence in the …

A Space Force Guardian Is Bringing Stranded Boeing Astronauts Home

A Space Force Guardian Is Bringing Stranded Boeing Astronauts Home

Published by José

They’re coming home. Our Saviors A Space Force Guardian is going on a mission none has ever attempted before: actually going to space. In a press release, NASA announced that Col. Nick Hague will take charge as the first ever active-duty Space Force Guardian to journey into space (astronaut Michael Hopkins was deputized into the Space Force during a ceremony on board the ISS in 2020, but he wasn’t yet a member when he traveled there, and the military branch’s personnel weren’t yet known as Guardians.) Hague’s mission is simple, according to Military.com‘s breakdown: bring back Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the now-stranded astronauts who took Boeing’s doomed Starliner up to the International Space Station earlier this summer and have since been unable to return home in the malfunctioning capsule. The international pair of saviors will fly with two empty seats on a SpaceX Dragon capsule for NASA’s Crew-9 mission, which will launch later this month and return to Earth with their precious cargo no sooner than February with Wilmore and Williams in tow. Delays on …

Want to talk to aliens? NASA trains astronauts with this app

Want to talk to aliens? NASA trains astronauts with this app

Published by skeptic

We’re about to blow your mind. If you don’t believe in aliens, try explaining this: Why would NASA, a space agency, have any use for a language-learning app if not to communicate with extraterrestrial life? It’s true: The agency uses Rosetta Stone, an app you can get here for a better price than anywhere else. Whether you’re hoping to brush up on your Spanish or maybe even learn Klingon (you know, just in case), you can’t go wrong with the app used by NASA. Get a Rosetta Stone lifetime subscription for $179.99 (reg. $399) while a 54% discount is live. Speak as well as a rocket scientist at NASA Disclaimer: There are no actual alien languages on Rosetta Stone. But there are 25 real ones that you can switch between at any time: French, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and more. You’ll learn a new language online, just like an astronaut, starting with word-and-picture matching exercises and working up to interactive lessons. While everything may seem quite simple at first, you’re building foundational …

The astronauts ‘stuck’ in space – podcast | News

The astronauts ‘stuck’ in space – podcast | News

Published by skeptic

When Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore set off in early June on the Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), they thought they’d be away for a week. But two months on, after issues with faulty thrusters, it’s still not clear when they’ll be able to return. There are few people on earth who can say they have ever had their space mission delayed, but the former astronaut Mike Massimino is one of them. “Those were glorious days for me,” Mike tells Helen Pidd. “There’s nothing on the checklist for us to do really, so we were just looking out the window and relaxing.” “That was some of the best days on the mission for me, some of my best days of my life.” The Guardian reporter Richard Luscombe also tells Helen what the delay means for Boeing, and what options the astronauts have for their return. Photograph: Chris O’Meara/AP Support The Guardian The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly …

Boeing Desperately Hoping Nothing Bad Happens When It Launches Astronauts Tonight

Boeing Desperately Hoping Nothing Bad Happens When It Launches Astronauts Tonight

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The stakes are incredibly high. Fingers Crossed Boeing is set to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station on board its Starliner space capsule later tonight — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The aerospace giant has been reeling from a number of disasters plaguing its avionics department, and the development of its much-maligned spacecraft hasn’t been spared, either. The Starliner project has faced years of delays, technical hiccups, failed launches, and a budget overrun of $1.5 billion as of last year. Despite the very real risks involved, the two crew members set to take the capsule for its crewed maiden voyage late on Monday are optimistic about the launch. “I’m not going to say that ride is going to be super calm,” NASA astronaut Suni Williams told Fox Weather last week, “but we’ll be OK.” Positive Vibes The team behind Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been through a lot together. “No matter what is going on around us, no matter how difficult the situation, the people on this team just keep their heads down doing the things that, …