On August 16th, Caixin News Agency reported that Boeing's embarrassment in the space field is still ongoing. Due to multiple propulsion failures on its interstellar passenger ship "Calypso", the manned spacecraft has been docked at the International Space Station since June, and the two American astronauts carrying the spacecraft have also been unable to return to Earth for a long time.
NASA Deputy Administrator Ken Bowersox said on Wednesday that he is studying how to successfully deorbit the Calypso spacecraft and ensure that its flight away from the space station can be completed smoothly.
At present, NASA is still studying whether to return the Calypso empty. If empty, the two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are waiting to return to Earth on the space station, may board the SpaceX spacecraft for the next manned mission.
However, a major challenge that troubles NASA may be the possibility of an interstellar spacecraft losing control and crashing into the space station when it leaves. According to reports, a malfunctioning thruster may cause the spacecraft to lose control and become drifting, with the worst-case scenario being a collision with the space station.
Of course, these tangled ideas still need analysis from NASA to clarify one by one, and for Wilmore and Williams, who are on the space station, they can only wait.
The arduous life in space
At a press conference on July 10th, the two expressed optimism that their life on the International Space Station was very enjoyable and the feeling of floating in space was great. Wilmore also stated that he is absolutely confident that Boeing's Calypso can safely return them to Earth.
But according to Jeffrey Kluger, the space and science editor of Time magazine, Wilmore's life on the space station was extremely difficult. The International Space Station has only six private sleeping areas, each equipped with a sleeping bag, a storage area for items, and two laptops fixed to the wall.
But the addition of Wilmore and Williams brought the total number of people on the space station to 9. Wilmore was originally scheduled to temporarily borrow sleeping bags from the Japan Space Agency's Hope module to spend the 8-day mission, while Williams slept with another astronaut on the Columbus module in a makeshift sleeping pod.
And now Wilmore and Williams may have to wait until February next year to leave the space station, making temporary accommodation a long-term pain. Williams joked before setting off that Wilmore would have to endure eight days of hardship. Now, the difficult life may last for up to eight months.
Even more embarrassingly, due to their planned stay of only eight days, Wilmore and Williams did not bring enough clothing for replacement. The good news is that a supply truck arrived at the space station last week, delivering 3 tons of urgently needed supplies such as fruits, vegetables, and new clothes for the two people.
In addition, as the two have already completed their work, they are currently in a state of 'idleness'. Kluger stated that Wilmore and Williams are currently assisting other astronauts with experiments and maintenance work, such as repairing urine treatment pumps and other miscellaneous tasks.
Wilmore and William continued their days of work and vacation, but for Boeing, every extra day the two astronauts spent on the space station felt like a humiliating upgrade.