How To I think the problem of getting the astronauts home is simple.

[Tom RETIRED]

I think the problem of getting the astronauts home is simple. First you send the star liner back
to earth by itself. If the star liner fails on re-entry Boeing is a hero for not risking lives. Second
you have space x go up and get the astronauts. Boeing is a hero again because they swallowed
there pride and brought the astronauts home safe.

 

[Cisventure Astronot]

I've heard that Starliner wouldn't get certified if they did that. My source isn't the best, though.

Starliner getting more delayed would be significantly problematic. We don't have enough Atlas-Vs for more tests, so they'd have to use Falcon-9, or human-rate & use Vulcan Centaur. This would cause more R&D, i.e., cost more time and money. The ISS isn't going to wait forever, it's only going to be operational until 2030.

Personally, I think you're right. But, at the end of the day, only NASA and Boeing understand the risk, so only they can decide what to do.

P.S. Welcome to the space.com forums, @Tom RETIRED.

 

[ChrisA]

I think the problem of getting the astronauts home is simple. First you send the star liner back
to earth by itself. If the star liner fails on re-entry Boeing is a hero for not risking lives. Second
you have space x go up and get the astronauts. Boeing is a hero again because they swallowed
there pride and brought the astronauts home safe.

The problem is not how to get them down. They could leave tomorrow. But if they did that Boeing would lose their opportunity to do more testing. That said, I think they already found the problem. Teflon seals in valves expand when heated. Het is a hard thing to deal with in space because vacuum is such a good insulator.

Getting back to Earth is not the issue, understanding the problem is. and going back to Earth makes understanding the issue harder.