Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, rescued US astronauts, disclosed the Boeing Starliner's severe malfunctions during their docking attempt at the International Space Station (ISS). Wilmore recounted moments of panic when four thrusters failed, resulting in a near loss of control. Despite regulations usually mandating a return to Earth in such cases, NASA allowed them to continue. In a gripping retelling, he described how he mentally navigated through the crisis, grappling with the possibility of losing communication or additional thrusters, showcasing the gravity of the situation they faced in space.
"I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point," Wilmore, 62, recalled in an interview with Ars Technica.
"So there we are, loss of 6DOF control, four aft thrusters down, and I'm visualizing orbital mechanics," Wilmore explained.
Wilmore expressed worried thoughts during the crisis, visualizing how losing control of the thrusters could impact their block to Earth.
"... What if I lose another thruster? What if we lose comm? What am I going to do?"
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