NASA's Starliner mission faced significant problems as astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams experienced thruster failures during docking with the ISS. Despite successful launch conditions, the capsule struggled to dock due to malfunctioning thrusters, leading to fears for the crew's safety. Wilmore expressed concerns about their ability to return to Earth amidst these malfunctions, highlighting the precarious situation. NASA's decision to proceed despite known issues emphasizes the gravity of the circumstances and the ongoing challenges Boeing faces in completing a successful crewed mission, following years of delays and safety concerns.
"I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point," Wilmore told Ars' Eric Berger. "I don't know if we can. And matter of fact, I'm thinking we probably can't."
News that NASA had actively bent flight rules to allow Starliner to continue attempting to dock with the station - despite multiple thrusters failing - highlights the real danger Wilmore and Williams were in, and how close they were to simply turning around.
While the pair said the launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas rocket went more smoothly than anticipated, things started to go haywire when reaction control system thrusters started failing one by one, making docking procedures a lot more difficult.
During briefings preceding the launch, Wilmore had already been made aware that thruster issues could land them in a 'situation where we're in space and can't control it,' as he told Ars.
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