NASA officials admitted that there was “tension” during meetings with Boeing executives about how to return home the Starliner spacecraft crew stranded on the ISS. At the same time, the organization denied reports of shouting.
The Starliner spacecraft was launched to the ISS on June 5. The flight plan suggested that its crew of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams would spend eight days aboard the orbital outpost before returning home.
However, during docking with the ISS, the Starliner experienced engine problems. The spacecraft managed to dock with the station, but concerns about the reliability of the propulsion system led to the spacecraft’s return date being changed several times. As a result, despite Boeing’s numerous assurances about the Starliner’s safety, NASA made the decision to send it back to Earth empty. As for Wilmore and Williams, they will return home aboard Crew Dragon.
Curiously, there were no Boeing representatives at the briefing at which NASA announced its decision. This has led to suggestions of a serious conflict between the two sides. According to the New York Post’s sources, meetings between NASA and Boeing officials often turned into shouting and arguing.
After these publications appeared, NASA commercial manned spaceflight program manager Steve Stich said that “anytime you’re in a meeting of this magnitude where there’s this kind of decision, there is some tension in the room.” He said Boeing engineers believed in the model they created proving the safety of the Starliner, but due to a number of uncertainties, the NASA team didn’t agree with it.
At the same time, Stich denied rumors of shouting during such meetings. It was an intense technical discussion, he said, with both sides scrutinizing all the data.
Recall that Starliner will leave the ISS on September 6. Shortly after undocking, the spacecraft will perform a “breakout burn” using its engines to avoid the risk of collision with the ISS. The Starliner will be scheduled to land on Earth on September 7. The return of Wilmore and Williams will take place in February 2025.
According to Phys.org
