NASA mulls options to bring Sunita Williams, Barry Willmore back to Earth

New York: As astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams remain stuck in Space, NASA has outlined two options for their early return to Earth, according to a report by noted journalist Mathew Ward Agius.

This latest input regarding the space incident comes amid reports that NASA and Boeing are trying to solve troubles with Starliner spacecraft that launched the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Starliner is a space capsule built by Boeing as part of the American space agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

This initiative offers private companies opportunity to provide spaceflight services to the ISS.

Wilmore as flight commander and Sunita as pilot docked with the space station on June 6 after overcoming pre-flight technical problems, according to the report.

However, Starliner remains stuck to the ISS following issues linked to helium lines into thrusters and propulsion system.

Teams from both NASA and Boeing are working to bring the astronauts safely back to Earth.

Amid these efforts, NASA has reportedly drawn up two options: the first, fix issues thus help astronauts return to Earth in Starliner or bring Starliner back ‘uncrewed’ and the second option is to bring both astronauts back home with SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in February 2025.

The second option will be prolonging their stay from an initially planned eight days to around eight months.

The report focuses on the possible health impacts on the astronauts from their long stay in Space.

The upside is Wilmore and Williams are highly trained and experienced astronauts living in their ‘second home’ –the ISS.

If they return in February next year, they will undergo eight months more radiation exposure than they previously thought.

Exposure to higher levels of radiation could increase the risk of cancer alongside causing muscles to atrophy.

The most important of all challenges that astronauts face in Space is weightlessness out there.

Having lived in gravitational pull of Earth, human bodies will not be optimized to forgo it.

The absence of gravity will cause health issues including loss of bone density, chance to develop kidney stones, issues with eyesight, and it will negatively impact cardiovascular system, according to the report.