Undeterred by delays: Butch and Suni's belief in Boeing starliner endures

By Girish Linganna | First Published Aug 19, 2024, 12:07 PM IST

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are stuck on the ISS due to concerns about Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which faces safety issues. NASA delays their return, weighing options between Starliner and SpaceX. The situation reflects challenges in NASA's partnerships and the broader future of American human spaceflight.

In early June, Sunita Williams spoke via video call from the International Space Station (ISS) to a crowd of elementary school students in her hometown in Massachusetts. She described the experience of riding a rocket into space as similar to a roller-coaster and shared insights about living hundreds of miles above Earth.

“Being in space is fun,” said the 58-year-old astronaut, as her hair floated around her head. She showed how to do flips, drank tropical punch from a pouch and talked about how people spend their time in the weightless environment of Earth’s orbit. “Sometimes, we play hide-and-seek,” Williams shared with the captivated students.

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At the end of the call, a student asked a simple question: “How many days will you be in space?” It was Williams’s fourth day of an eight-day mission. She avoided a direct reply, saying instead, “We’re not exactly sure when we’ll be coming back.”

Williams and fellow astronaut Commander Barry Wilmore’s mission to the ISS had the goal of demonstrating that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was ready for regular use after a long phase of development. However, the mission exposed issues with the spacecraft’s propulsion system, leading to concerns about its ability to safely bring its first human crew back home.

Wilmore and Williams, often referred to as Butch and Suni, now find themselves in a difficult situation. After spending months in orbit, they are caught in the middle of an ongoing debate about the safety and future of human spaceflight. This is a challenging time for America’s famous space programme. This important test flight for NASA and Boeing was intended to mark the beginning of a new method for launching into orbit from US soil. Now, the agency is facing negative press and difficult decisions with serious consequences.

There are questions galore: Should Butch and Suni return to Earth on the Starliner, even though the risks of this flight are still uncertain? Would it be safer for them to wait and return on a SpaceX flight, even though that mission is not scheduled until February? If NASA cancels this Starliner mission, what will that mean for its long-standing partnership with Boeing and future missions to the ISS? How did NASA, once a symbol of American skill and technological leadership, find itself in such a difficult situation?

People familiar with the situation have told The Journal that they are relieved that NASA is taking its time, especially given the seriousness of such past tragedies as the Challenger explosion in 1986 and the Columbia disaster in 2003, which both resulted in the loss of seven members of the crew. “They’d rather face some embarrassment than risk another disaster,” said Roger Handberg, a University of Central Florida professor who studies space policy, as reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

On Wednesday (August 14), NASA leaders once again delayed deciding on how to move forward.

Butch and Suni are both former Navy pilots with engineering degrees. Together, they have over 10,000 hours of flight experience. They have both been to the ISS twice earlier, once on American space shuttles and once on Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The Starliner mission was supposed to be the highlight of their space careers.

The space station, which travels around Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles/hr (28,000 km/hr), is a place they are both familiar with. NASA says there is enough food, oxygen and supplies for them to stay as long as they need. The astronauts had to leave some clothes behind on the Starliner to make room for a pump to convert urine into drinking water on the ISS. They are now wearing spare clothes on board as backups, but they continue to maintain a sense of humour and stay positive.

Shortly after he reached the ISS in June, 61-year-old Butch participated in a video Q&A session with students from his home state of Tennessee, with the state flag in the background. He humorously declared it ‘Tennessee Day’ and ‘Tennessee Tech Day’, paying tribute to his alma mater where he once played football.

The ISS made up of over a dozen modules added gradually since the building started in 1998, with the most recent module launched in 2021, is the biggest human-made object to ever circle Earth in space. The ISS is a unique place where science is pushed forward and astronauts are trained. Since 2000, it has been running non-stop, thanks to the collaboration of five space agencies from 15 different countries. A few times each year, new groups of astronauts and cosmonauts head to the ISS. They usually live there for six months or longer.

Suni joined NASA’s astronaut programme in 1998 and took part in missions that contributed to building the ISS during its early years in space. In the tight-knit community of astronauts, she is famous for her contagious laughter and comfort in front of the camera. On her last mission in 2012, Suni made a video showing the ISS’s comfortable living areas, including the small sleeping stations and challenging bathrooms.

It has received over 12 million views on YouTube. Suni shared her secret stash of marshmallow Fluff, saying, “I enjoy fluffernutters.” She also showed off a special module with windows that offer amazing views of 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. “You’ll want to spend as much time as possible in the cupola just to look outside,” she added.

Neither astronaut has made any public statements since July, but their families and friends say they are doing all right and that they remain in close touch through phone calls, FaceTime and e-mail. Suni’s mother, Bonnie Pandya, told WSJ she hears from her daughter almost every other day. During a recent chat, Williams sounded fine and relaxed. Pandya shared, “She said, ‘Whatever happens, happens’.”

Butch, a pastor who leads Bible studies, attributes his life and career to the grace of God. However, he also acknowledges the support and encouragement of his wife, Deanna, has been a big help. In a 2016 Family Life Today podcast, he shared how, after being turned down for the astronaut programme in 1998, his wife Deanna comforted him by saying, “The Lord has something better in store!” Butch applied again after two years and, this time, he was signed on.

If Butch remains on the ISS until February, he will miss celebrating Christmas, his 30th wedding anniversary and spending time with his two teenage daughters. Most astronauts do not mind getting a little extra time at the space station, especially if they are close to finishing their space-travelling careers. “They’re both nearly 60 years old, so who knows,” said Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut who has spent over 200 days in space, to WSJ. “They might not have many more space missions after this.”

Even though their future is uncertain, the experienced astronauts are not complaining. “It’s a wonderful place to be, live and work,” Butch said about the ISS during their last media call on July 10. Suni also mentioned that being at the station “feels like returning home”.

‘It’s All About Mindset’

While America and Russia may have conflicts on Earth, astronauts and cosmonauts work together happily in space. NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency cooperate closely to manage the station and send crew to the ISS. Unmanned cargo vehicles from both countries regularly bring science experiments, supplies and food to the station, including dried vegetables and candy.

The space station is nearly as long as an American football field at 356 feet, but only about 14,000 cubic feet of it is liveable space (approximately 30 feet x 20 feet x 23 feet). This means that the nine explorers currently on the station—four American astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts and two people from the Starliner—are living and working in a space similar to three small train cars.

Their days are filled with tasks, including spacewalks, checking equipment, taking stock of food and maintaining the toilet, all scheduled around briefings. Any free time is mostly used for rehydrating or reheating meals, exercising and conducting experiments in one of the most unique labs in the universe—about 400 km (250 miles) above Earth.

Suni and Butch have been staying busy. According to NASA records and their report from July, they have been doing such tasks as maintaining spacesuits and undergoing tests to learn how microgravity impacts the body. They have also been checking the Starliner to make sure it can be a safe place in an emergency, with enough oxygen, water and food.

Each crew member has a small sleeping area that also serves as an office for storing books and clothes. They sleep in sleeping bags that are attached to the walls to keep them from floating away. In microgravity, it is easier to move around, which can result in astronauts losing bone density and muscle mass while on the station.

To counter the effects of microgravity, astronauts exercise for hours each day using treadmills, a cycling machine and a device called Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), which creates resistance for strength training. A deadlift involves lifting weight from the ground to a standing position, working the legs, back and core. A squat is an exercise where you bend your knees and lower your body as if sitting back into a chair, then return to standing, strengthening the legs and core.

While Suni and Butch appear calm about their changed plans, long stays at the station do have some downsides. The Starliner astronauts packed lightly, so they probably do not have any comforts from home, such as favourite snacks or books. They also are not sure how long they will be staying. “When you’re not sure when you’ll return, it can cause stress,” retired astronaut Scott Kelly told WSJ. He admitted that he felt homesick for Earth during his third trip to the station and the spacecraft seemed “a little smaller every day”.

Virts mentioned that he and his ISS crew missed their planned departure date in 2015 because a Russian cargo ship exploded on its way to the station, which needed an investigation. Although their delay was only a month, the uncertainty made the wait more challenging. “I’ve experienced the stress of not knowing when it’ll end, so I focused on thinking, ‘I have my whole life to be on Earth. I’ll work hard and enjoy my time in space,” he said. “It’s all about having the right attitude.”

Shuttle Standoff

NASA and Boeing are facing challenges that are affecting a key goal: having two separate US companies transport astronauts to and from the space station. The benefit of having two different types of spacecraft is clear: if one has an issue, the other can take over, making sure there’s always a way for the US to access space.

It would also lessen the agency’s dependence on one private company, which in this case is Musk’s SpaceX, for important missions. The company is a major contractor for NASA, but Musk’s actions, such as using marijuana in the past and buying Twitter (now X), have raised concerns at the agency about their partnership, according to reports from WSJ. NASA stopped using its space shuttles 13 years ago, after the Columbia disaster. Since then, the US temporarily lost the ability to send astronauts to the space station.

Between 2011 and early 2020, NASA had to buy seats on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport its astronauts to the ISS, but this made both NASA and US government officials uneasy. About 10 years ago, NASA wanted to explore space without spending too much. So, they partnered with such companies as SpaceX and Boeing. SpaceX created the Crew Dragon, and Boeing developed the Starliner to help NASA with its missions.

For NASA, which led the way in human space travel, outsourcing important missions was a big change. Phil McAlister, a NASA official, noted online last year that many people at NASA disliked the idea. The plan appeared successful. In 2020, SpaceX sent two NASA astronauts to the space station. Since then, they have completed eight more missions and are set to continue until 2030.

However, Boeing has faced challenges with the Starliner. A few years ago, an uncrewed test mission did not meet its goals. Some NASA leaders admitted they might not have reviewed Boeing’s work closely enough, trusting their long history together. Boeing played a crucial role in helping NASA achieve historic missions. They contributed to the Saturn V rockets that sent astronauts to the Moon and were instrumental in developing the ISS.

Earlier this year, Steve Stich, a NASA program manager for Starliner, mentioned they might have got too confident that the requirements were being met.

NASA and Boeing are currently disagreeing about how to manage the situation with astronauts Suni and Butch. Boeing believes Starliner can safely bring them back to Earth. However, NASA’s delay in making a decision shows it is less confident in Starliner.

This situation is challenging for Boeing, as they have recently hired a new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, to address financial losses and improve their reputation. This follows a few serious incidents, such as the 737 MAX crashes and a panel coming off mid-flight in January. Additionally, Boeing has lost over $1.4 billion on the Starliner programme.

Roger Launius, a former NASA chief historian, mentioned that Boeing might end up with a damaged reputation from this situation. Even though Suni and Butch saw the helium leaks and thruster issues during their first flight, they remain optimistic about Starliner. As the first crew for the mission, they have spent years collaborating with Starliner’s engineers to build the spacecraft’s hardware and software.

During a call from the space station in July, Butch sounded proud when he described Starliner’s docking on June 6 as “truly impressive”. The Starliner astronauts seem happy to wait while NASA decides what to do next. However, they also seem eager to continue working with the team that got them this far.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also the Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)

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