DNA: Astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore Stranded On ISS Due To Spacecraft Malfunction

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stranded on the International Space Station due to critical malfunctions in their Boeing Starliner capsule, prompting NASA to seek alternative solutions for their safe return.

Sunita Williams, a renowned astronaut, embarked on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5th aboard the Boeing Starliner capsule. The journey, initially marked by joyous celebrations and significant achievements, has since turned into a challenging ordeal. Despite completing their mission on June 13th, Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore remain stranded on the ISS due to critical malfunctions in their spacecraft. With ongoing issues such as helium gas leaks and thruster failures compromising the Starliner's systems, NASA faces the urgent task of devising alternative solutions to safely bring the astronauts back to Earth. In today's DNA, Anant Tyagi analyses the challenging ordeal of Sunita Williams in space. 

After reaching space, a video of Sunita and her companions celebrating was released. In the video, Sunita is seen dancing to celebrate her success. A bell was rung in space for her. There was a special glow of success on the faces of all the astronauts.

Sunita was supposed to return on June 13th after completing this mission. But today, it has been 12 days more, and Sunita and Butch Wilmore are still stuck on the International Space Station. When will both astronauts return? There is no answer to this from the American space agency NASA.

The Boeing Starliner capsule that Sunita and Butch Wilmore went to the International Space Station in has developed a malfunction, causing both astronauts to be trapped in space. Now you might be wondering what kind of malfunction it is. Actually, Helium gas is leaking in 5 places in the Boeing Starliner capsule. Helium pressurizes the propulsion system of the spacecraft. Additionally, there have been 5 thruster failures in the Starliner.

Due to the thruster failures, the reaction control system of the Starliner capsule has malfunctioned. This means Sunita or Barry will not be able to control the spacecraft when returning to Earth.
It's not that the malfunction occurred only after the Boeing Starliner capsule reached space. There were two malfunctions before its launch as well. NASA was aware of these issues before the mission started. Despite this, the mission was given the green light.

The fuel capacity of the Starliner is 45 days. The mission started on June 5th, so 20 days have passed. Only 25 days of fuel are left. If the helium leak and reaction control system issues affect the fuel system, the fuel might run out even sooner. This means other options will have to be explored to bring Sunita and Butch Wilmore back.