Astronauts Describe Near-Loss in Space after Boeing Starliner Malfunction

Astronauts Wilmore and Williams faced thruster failures, uncertainty, and near-loss while stranded on ISS.

On the day their Boeing Starliner ship malfunctioned, the astronauts who were left stranded on board the ISS said they were nearly lost in space. Originally scheduled for an eight-day trip last June, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams were left on the ISS for 286 days after their ship failed.

The astronauts said in their first interviews with the media since returning to Earth last month that their capsule had problems from the start, including a near-catastrophe when they first neared the ISS. They remembered that they lost four thrusters and the capacity to properly navigate the ship when Wilmore gained manual control of it.

According to flight rules, they should return to Earth even though they were very close to the ISS, but Wilmore claimed he thought he might have lost control of the ship entirely. He mentioned to Ars Technica that he was uncertain about whether they could return to Earth at that time, stating, "I'm not sure if we can," and added, "In reality, I believe we probably cannot."

Williams said the two of them were having 'a lot of wordless conversation' inside the capsule, and Wilmore said he had to determine whether it was safer to try to fly back to earth or dock in the ISS in light of the dire circumstances. Williams continued, "We don't know exactly what's going on, why the thrusters are falling off, and what the solution would be." 'I'm not sure that we can get back to Earth,' Wilmore added when the thrusters failed. We're down four aft thrusters, losing 6DOF control, and I'm imagining orbital mechanics. The station in space is upside down. Therefore, we are below the station rather than exactly level with it.

When the thrusters were restarted, Williams reported that she was "extremely happy" about the relief she experienced upon their eventual docking.