Hold onto your space helmets! Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will keep its two astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) for weeks longer than planned. Why? Engineers need time to address thruster glitches and helium leaks—think of it as cosmic troubleshooting. 🔍
NASA confirmed Friday that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are safe while teams analyze data from Starliner’s rocky June 6 docking, which saw five of 28 thrusters fail. Software tweaks got four back online—like rebooting a laggy phone—but the fifth remains a mystery. 🛠️
Ground tests at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range will ‘mirror space conditions’ to crack the thruster code, said NASA’s Steve Stich. The delay ensures safety first: ‘We’re taking the time to review the systems… before we return.’ 🧑🚀
Starliner’s mission, initially eight days, now has no fixed return date. But hey, extra ISS time means more zero-gravity selfies, right? 📸 Stay tuned for updates!
