Boeing Starliner astronauts on the ISS set the story straight: 'We don't feel stranded

[Admin]

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore say they aren't stranded aboard the space station. They'll be happy to come home but sad when their spaceflight journey comes to an end.

Boeing Starliner astronauts on the ISS set the story straight: 'We don't feel stranded : Read more

 

[rustythebailiff]

To me the only time there was danger to Butch and Sunni was the 22 days between Starliner leaving and Crew 9 arriving. Since their Boeing space suits wouldn't work in Dragon, if there was an emergency during that 22 days things could have been dicey. Once their shiny SpaceX suits arrived, everything was just fine. They are still there because of scheduling, and apparently loving every minute of it. Who wouldn't?

 

[the truth]

For the writers at space.com that say these two aren't stranded it's just a flat out lie. Looks like someone is on the payroll. Writers and editors please rethink what you are doing lying to the American people

 

[the truth]

This whole incident is a gigantic embarrassment to Boeing and NASA. Don't compound the problem by lying about it. And shame on the two astronauts that are lying about it

Mod Edit - Keep politics out of the conversation

 

[Chameleon Geek]

They are by every practical definition stranded. They have been stuck up there for eight months with no practical or legal way to get back home. At first, they'd have had to use someone else's space suit to return. Once replacement suits arrived, the only way they could have returned home is if they stole the escape capsule, stranding all the other astronauts.

Butch and Sunni are good soldiers, who will do (and say) what they are ordered to say "for the good of the service," which the NASA bureaucrats have decided is to never say anything that will point out what a huge Charlie Foxtrot NASA's decision to go years past schedule and billions of dollars over budget on another Boeing boondoggle. They know that if Butch and Sunni are allowed to say the truth, everyone with any common sense would demand the immediate suspension of Starliner and SLS, which too many NASA bureaucrats have staked their careers and pensions on.

Let's not forget why they're still up there: the "experts" at Boeing didn't account for the fact that Teflon, like nearly every other compound in the universe, expands when it heats up. They discovered leaks during the countdown to the earlier launch, and despite all the time between the scrapped launch and Butch and Sunni's launch, they didn't run proper thermal testing to verify they fixed the problem and decided to risk two human lives anyways.

 

[Classical Motion]

Lipstick.

 

[penguin44]

For the writers at space.com that say these two aren't stranded it's just a flat out lie. Looks like someone is on the payroll. Writers and editors please rethink what you are doing lying to the American people

They aren't, and have not been for quite some time. They've been scheduled to come down on dragon and that was the plan the mkment sl ran into issues. That was also a backup plan before the launch.

 

[srockey]

Wow, someone is drinking the Kool-Aid. If they are not stranded, then what do you call their situation?

 

[RockyMax]

Read here the commentary that it's a lie that the 2 astronauts are abandoned in the Space Station. NASA and Boeing shot them into space and their Star Liner crew capsule failed, unable to get them back home to earth. How's that not abandoning them? Without SpaceX coming to the rescue they'd remain abandoned.

 

[Punk]

If a cruise ship dropped me off on an island, broke down, and then was unsafe to take me back home leaving me there... and the cruise company told me I'd have to sit and wait for a few months while they book a different company to come get me... I'd consider myself stranded. You can fluff it up all you want and twist terminology to deny it, but the fact remains that they became stranded the minute Starliner un-docked and returned without them. Besides - there are literally news articles from 2024 (PBS for one) that specifically refers to them as "stranded astronauts"... but when Musk says it, it's a problem?

 

[COLGeek]

.. but when Musk says it, it's a problem?

No, him saying it is no more a problem than anyone else saying it. Regardless of the responses and perceptions of others, the astronauts have made their statements regarding their status. Believe them, or not, that is okay.

Just as a public service announcement (and not directed at Punk, but to the community in general): Veering off into political banter will result in edits and possible sanctions. We will not allow political comments to derail the conversation. The focus of this site is space and science.

 

[George²]

the astronauts have made their statements regarding their status. Believe them, or not, that is okay.

They are afraid of their employers. There have already been deaths of Boeing employees who acted negatively for the company.

 

[COLGeek]

They are afraid of their employers. There have already been deaths of Boeing employees who acted negatively for the company.

Let's not go there, please. This isn't the site for such speculation. Thank you.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

If a cruise ship dropped me off on an island, broke down, and then was unsafe to take me back home leaving me there... and the cruise company told me I'd have to sit and wait for a few months while they book a different company to come get me... I'd consider myself stranded.

Wait, is that at tropical island? With enough food and water, etc.?

I might consider myself lucky!

Same said for spending more time on the ISS, especially since it will soon be "sunk" and thus unavailable.

Send me the lemons - I like lemonade.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Adding a real world example, my father was "stranded" for weeks in New Zealand by the U.S. Navy on his way back from Antarctica. The Navy transport plane did break down, and the U.S. government was not about to pay commercial air fairs to get its scientists back to the U.S. on schedule. My dad really enjoyed his unexpected time there, and was actually glad to hear that the plane was not fixed when he checked every morning. He was not an astronaut, but I am sure he would have been as thrilled as I would be to get unexpected time on the ISS, too.