Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 256 miles above the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India. Credit: NASA
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station on the company’s Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. Credit: NASA
Preparing for Starliner’s Undocking
Forward work for the team also includes finalizing the spacecraft’s undocking procedures and operational mitigations that could be used in flight, if needed, to build further confidence in the system. Meanwhile, Starliner ground and mission support teams are continuing to prepare for undocking by participating in integrated simulations with space station operations teams.
Following the completion of Starliner’s return planning, which is expected to continue into next week, more information will be shared about the agency’s return readiness review preparations and subsequent media briefing. As always, astronaut safety remains the top priority for both NASA and Boeing.
NASA astronaut and Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore performs spacesuit maintenance inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock. Credit: NASA
Astronaut Activities on the Space Station
While engineers conduct their spacecraft studies on Earth, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are closely following the ground team’s progress while aboard the station. The duo has integrated into the daily workload of the orbiting laboratory, giving the station a crew of nine as their mission overlaps with Expedition 71.
The astronauts worked primarily on lab upkeep aboard the orbiting outpost on Wednesday. Wilmore spent time inspecting advanced plumbing hardware and then packed the life support components for return to Earth. Williams set up high-definition video gear inside the Columbus laboratory module before inspecting a barcode reader and radio frequency hardware. Wilmore and Williams also partnered up and organized cargo inside the Tranquility module before calling into a Boeing mission controllers conference.
Discussion about this post