By: Kerry Ding

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will spend a few extra weeks at the International Space Station because of malfunctioning thrusters on the Starliner spacecraft. Ground teams will continue to study and hopefully understand what went wrong with the thrusters.

The two astronauts originally traveled to the I.S.S. in the beginning of June. They were supposed to have come back a few weeks earlier, but due to suspected malfunctions, they will be prolonging their stay on the I.S.S. for a few more weeks. However, NASA officials want to emphasize that the astronauts are completely safe and not stranded in space.

“We’re not stuck on I.S.S.,” Mark Nappi, the program manager for Starliner, said during a news conference on Friday. “The crew is not in any danger.”

NASA wants to be certain of the astronauts’ safety and are taking this time to analyze a replica of the thrusters at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. Their goal is to figure out why five of Starliner’s 28 maneuvering jets behaved oddly. Currently, it seems that four out of the originally five faulty thrusters are working normally. The malfunctioning one will not be utilized on their way home.

Previous fatal disasters like Columbia and Challenger (resulting in the deaths of 14 astronauts) have taught the NASA officials a lesson: to always be cautious when dealing with unforeseen circumstances. They want have the utmost certainty that everyone involved is safe. That’s why NASA will be extremely careful this time. The Starliner seems relatively safe and can stay in space for a long time. If there were external emergencies, the astronauts could take refuge in the capsule.