Starliner astronauts prepare for long-term ISS stay

WASHINGTON – NASA astronauts who left the International Space Station after Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft returned uncrewed to Earth said they supported NASA's decision but believed the agency might have acted differently with more time.

In a call with reporters on Sept. 13, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, commander and pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission, said they were adjusting well to their new roles as members of the long-term ISS crew. The two will remain on the station until early next year and then return on the Crew-9 Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch to the station on Sept. 25.

The pair were originally scheduled to spend only eight days on the ISS, but their stay was extended by weeks while NASA and Boeing investigated problems with the spacecraft's reaction control system engines, and then by another six months after NASA decided on August 24 to return the Starliner unmanned. The spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico on September 7.

They said the transition to long-term residency was smooth. “I don't worry about things I can't control,” Wilmore said. “My transition may not have been instantaneous, but it was pretty close.”

“You just turn to the next day's activity and tackle it,” added Williams, who will be commander of the next ISS unit, Expedition 72. “That's what we do. We're professionals.”

The two were involved in meetings NASA and Boeing held to discuss the engine problems and helium leaks that led to the agency's decision to bring the Starliner back unmanned, calling from the station. “We mostly listened and took it all in,” Wilmore said. “We had a say in how this was all going to turn out. Thankfully, our managers and our leaders allowed us to be involved.”

“I was really impressed. There were a lot of opinions, a lot of data coming in at different times,” Williams said. “Our leadership really opened the door and was open to understanding everyone's opinion. That's really impressive and shows how a good organization works.”

Wilmore said they immediately accepted NASA's decision to bring the Starliner back unmanned. “We realized that there were some things we couldn't be comfortable with when we got back on the Starliner, even though we had other options,” he said.

However, he added that the outcome might have been different if NASA had taken more time – the agency had to bring Starliner back in September to free up its docking slot for the Crew-9 Crew Dragon. “I think the data would have done it. I think we could have gotten to the point where we could have returned with Starliner, but we just ran out of time.”

Starliner returned safely to Earth with only minor problems, but none of the astronauts regretted not being on board. “To be honest, I was so happy that it came home without any problems,” Williams said when asked about it. “We're really happy for our team, our larger team, that brought this spacecraft home.”

But they were more cautious about what changes they think are needed for Starliner based on their experience with the spacecraft or what Boeing could have done differently in its development. “All of that will come out in the coming months,” Wilmore said. “We'll be involved in those discussions, and things that need to change will change.”

While both viewed their extended stay on the ISS as positive, they also acknowledged it had its drawbacks. Wilmore said he will miss much of his youngest daughter's senior year of high school. “There are people on Earth who had plans, like my family,” that will have to change, Williams added. “Everyone is on board and supporting us while we're up here.”

Another aspect of their extended stay is that both will be in person during the November election, rather than at home as originally planned. Both will vote by mail instead. “I actually sent in my request for a ballot today,” Wilmore said.

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