NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore started their trip back to Earth after nine months at the International Space Station (ISS). The pair boarded the capsule Spacex Dragon, which disagreed from ISS at 2:05 am for Brasilia and is expected to land in the ocean near Florida around 6:57 pm on Tuesday (18).
Originally, the mission of the two astronauts should last only eight days. They traveled to ISS aboard Boeing’s Starline Capsule on June 5, 2024, as part of a test of the new space vehicle. However, a series of technical failures, including helium leaks and problems in the drivers, made the return in the same capsule insecure. As a result, NASA and Boeing decided to bring Starliner back without crew, leaving Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS longer than expected.
To make the return viable, astronauts were incorporated into the Crew-9 team, also composed by the American Nicholas Hague and Russian Aleksandr Gorbunov. With the arrival of the new crew at ISS in September, the opportunity arose for the four astronauts to return together in the Spacex capsule.
Dangerous reentry
Return to Earth is not a simple process. The Spacex Dragon capsule will undergo a quick and intense reentry in the earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures up to 1,600ºC. A thermal shield will protect astronauts, which will be subject to gravitational forces about four times larger than that of Earth. In the final phase of the descent, four giant parachutes will be called to ensure a controlled landing in the ocean.
British astronaut Helen Sharman, who has gone through this process, highlighted the emotion of the return: “They are experienced astronauts, but they will be amazed when returning to Earth.
Political dispute in the USA
In addition to the technical challenges, the mission has gained political contours. Williams and Wilmore’s prolonged permanence at ISS was used as an argument by allies of former President Donald Trump to criticize the Biden administration. Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of Spacex and Trump’s supporter, even said without evidence that astronauts had been “abandoned” by NASA.
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Trump also tried to frame the return trip as a rescue operation authorized by his management, but NASA records show that the return of astronauts has been scheduled since September. Wilmore, in turn, sought to ward off political narrative, stating that he did not feel “abandoned, arrested or stranded” in space.
The situation led to public clashes between Musk and Veteran astronauts, including Andreas Migensen and the Scott and Mark Kelly brothers. In response to criticism, Musk even called Mark Kelly “traitor” and got involved in new friction with former NASA colleagues.
Future of the Starliner program
The failure of Starline’s original mission has raised doubts about the future of the Boeing capsule, which is part of NASA’s commercial transportation program. Currently, engineers analyze the vehicle at its base in New Mexico to diagnose the problems that have occurred on the flight.
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According to Aviation WeekStarliner will hardly return to space before 2026. However, Boeing keeps confidence in the project and works to obtain new flight certification.
Meanwhile, Spacex continues to dominate NASA’s manned flights, reinforcing its role as the main US space transportation supplier.
(com The Guardian, BBC e Aviation Week)
