‘Lessons learned’: Stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on Boeing’s return to earth
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June, observed the Starliner’s return to Earth on September 7.The spacecraft, which had encountered thruster problems on its way to the ISS, returned without a crew.
During the live press conference, conducted directly from the ISS, Williams and Wilmore provided the public with a rare opportunity to hear about their experiences during their extended mission. Williams mentioned that the team was excited and proud of the larger team responsible for bringing the Starliner home.
“To be honest, I was so happy it got home with no problems. It was a great sense of relief, and we were really excited and proud of our bigger team for bringing the spacecraft home and landing it, pretty much, bulls-eye in the desert,” Williams said, reflecting on the event.
‘We’ve got lessons’
Butch Wilmore said they had learned lessons and would engage in discussions to address them, ensuring any necessary changes would be made. He emphasised that both Boeing and the entire team were committed to making those changes.
“We’ve got lessons learned that we will go through. We will have discussions. We will be involved with those discussions, and things that need to change will change. Obviously, when you have issues like we’ve had, there’s some changes that need to be made. Boeing is on board with that. We’re all on board with that,” Wilmore said.
Williams shared her perspective, stating that they are testers whose role is to evaluate various aircraft and spacecraft. She highlighted that this is a unique opportunity. “We’re testers. That’s what we do. We look at different aircraft, spacecraft, whatever, and evaluate them. And that’s a pretty unique opportunity.”
“When Butch and I were preparing for this flight, we talked about being on a test flight and knowing that it was scheduled for eight days. We anticipated that other factors might extend our stay a little longer. We’ve been training not only for Starliner but also for the International Space Station for a number of years. Both of us have been up here before, so we have some experience,” said Williams.
She also mentioned that they are looking forward to handing over responsibilities to astronauts Nick and Alex, who will be arriving as part of Expedition 72.
“What we look forward to is being here and being part of the crew that’s here. We have been part of Expedition 71. They are a great bunch of people, and we’ve tried to just jump in and do whatever we can. We are waiting for Nick and Alex to get up here as part of Expedition 72, once we hand over,” said Sunita Williams.
Wilmore said that Nasa and Boeing had intense but respectful discussions regarding the Starliner issues. “Thorough, all-encompassing, great character that we would hear in the room when there were disagreements,” he noted.
However, both Williams and Wilmore contributed to the discussions and respected the final decision. “Ultimately, like I said, the decision that was made is the decision we’re on board with, right? It doesn’t matter if I agreed or disagreed,” Wilmore added.
Astronauts set to return in February
Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the ISS on June 6. However, due to safety concerns, Nasa extended the astronauts’ stay on the ISS from the originally planned eight days to eight months. Instead of returning on the Starliner, the astronauts will remain on the ISS as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew.
The astronauts are now scheduled to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, launching from Cape Canaveral on September 24. This spacecraft will include two extra seats for Wilmore and Williams, allowing them to return in February.
