Only 12 days are left… that is why the American space agency NASA is on tenterhooks. Because Indian-origin astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are stuck in space. Efforts are being made to bring them to Earth for the last 2 months.
Now NASA has made a new plan in collaboration with Boeing Starliner. According to Boeing, their experts have done more than 100,000 computer simulations, which are absolutely accurate. There was no problem. With this system, we can easily land the astronauts on Earth.
Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore went to space on the first flight of Boeing Starliner. Currently both are stuck on the International Space Station because there was a malfunction in the spacecraft. Now computer simulations have shown that 27 out of 28 reaction control systems are completely fit, there is no fault in them. They have returned in the same way as they were sent. This makes it clear that if an attempt is made to bring back both the astronauts through this system, then there will be no problem.
How to bring it back to Earth
To identify how the spacecraft malfunctioned and how it could be fixed, Boeing experts conducted not one or two but more than 100,000 computer simulations. Each lineup was examined in detail. An attempt was made to know what the situation would be when it would be undocked from the space station, enter the Earth’s atmosphere, and be taken over the ocean. For this, 7 ground tests of the reaction control system were conducted. A free flight was also done. Boeing issued a statement saying, our system seems foolproof. We hope that we will succeed in our mission soon. Boeing is currently analyzing the spacecraft data in collaboration with NASA. Because due to the explosion in the capsule’s thrusters and helium leak, the mission which was only for 8 days, has now extended to more than 60 days.
Why is this mission important?
Boeing’s test flight carrying Sunita Williams and Barry E. Wilmore took off on June 5, but 5 of its 28 reaction control system thrusters failed. Due to this, both the astronauts were stopped at the International Space Station. If the plan to land both of them on Earth from Boeing’s capsule is successful, then there will be a revolution in the world of space. Because this will become a very cheap and easy way to send astronauts into space. On the other hand, due to the delay in the mission, Sunita Williams and Wilmore are facing many health related problems. Calcium is falling from Sunita Williams’ bones. This is called bone density loss. In this, bones start becoming weak and osteoporosis occurs.
It is not that easy to bring them back.
NASA’s first attempt is to bring both the astronauts to Earth. But it is not that easy. Dana Weigel, program manager of the International Space Station at NASA, said, “First of all, our plan is to clear the docking port. The Boeing Starliner lying there will have to be removed. Because only then will another capsule go there. It will dock with the space station and bring these astronauts back.” NASA and Boeing are working on the ground to investigate the fault in the spacecraft, but the date of the astronauts’ return has not been decided yet.
