<h5>What is Sunita Williams doing in space?</h5>Sunita Williams, the legendary Indian-origin US astronaut, has journeyed to the International Space Station (ISS) thrice: in 2006, 2012, and most recently in 2024.She is known for her numerous spacewalks and is a role model for many aspiring astronauts.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/sunita-williams-does-happy-dance">In her latest mission, she travelled to the ISS aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.</a> She reached the space station on 6th June 2024, along with fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore.Originally, they were supposed to conduct various experiments in space for ten days. However, they have been stuck at the ISS ever since!<h5>Why are they stuck?</h5><figure class="image"><img alt="Starliner.jpg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/newsahoot.appspot.com/Starliner_c58d1ed4bc.jpg"><figcaption>The Boeing Starliner is attached to the ISS. Photo by Boeing Space.</figcaption></figure>The duo is stuck in space due to several technical issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Although the spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS, it was meant to bring them back to Earth.The issues with the spacecraft include:Five helium leaks: Helium is crucial for the spacecraft's systems. Leaks can lead to system failures.Malfunctioning propellant valve: This valve controls the flow of fuel into the spacecraft’s engine. A malfunction can affect manoeuvrability and cause faulty propulsion causing the spacecraft to lose control.Failure in five thrusters: Thrusters are small engines that control the spacecraft’s movement. Malfunctions can make it difficult to navigate and endanger the crew.NASA and Boeing are working hard to resolve the issues and return and hope to return the astronauts by August, though no exact date has been set.Meanwhile, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are actively assisting the ISS crew with various tasks rather than relaxing.<h5>What’s next?</h5><figure class="image"><img alt="ISS 2.jpg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/newsahoot.appspot.com/ISS_2_e7d703ef02.jpg"><figcaption>The ISS crew, along with Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. Photo by International Space Station.</figcaption></figure>If the Boeing Starliner cannot be repaired, NASA has a backup plan to use Space X’s Dragon capsule to bring both astronauts back to Earth.Also, the ISS crew is regularly replaced, and the next crew is scheduled to launch around August 18, 2024. Therefore, the Starliner issue needs to be resolved before this date.If the Starliner cannot be fixed in time, it will need to be released from the ISS to make room for the new crew's docking. In that case, the Boeing Starliner would drift away into space without a pilot and could be lost forever.

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore arrived on the ISS a few weeks ago!

Sunita Williams Stuck In Space

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Sunita Williams Stuck In Space

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