Two astronauts who should have been back on Earth weeks ago said Wednesday that they're confident that Boeing's space capsule can return them safely, despite breakdowns. NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule early last month, the first people to ride it. Helium leaks and thruster failures almost derailed their arrival at the International Space Station, and has kept them there much longer than planned. In their first news conference from orbit, they said they expect to return once thruster testing on Earth is complete. The pilots said they're not complaining about getting extra time in orbit and are enjoying helping the station crew, the AP reports.
"I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem," Williams told reporters. The test flight should have lasted eight days, ending on June 14. This week, NASA and Boeing are trying to duplicate the Starliner's thruster problems on a brand-new unit at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The trouble is in the propulsion system, used to maneuver the spacecraft. Five thrusters failed as the capsule approached the space station on June 6, a day after liftoff; four have since been reactivated. Wilmore said there should be enough working thrusters to get him and Williams out of orbit. There are also bigger engines that could fill in, if necessary.
"That mantra you've heard, failure is not an option, that's why we are staying here now," Wilmore said. "We trust that the tests that we're doing are the ones we need to do to get the right answers, to give us the data that we need to come back." Boeing and NASA consider the ground tests essential to determine what might have gone wrong since that part of the capsule—the service module—is discarded before landing, per the AP. The leaks also are located in this disposable section.
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