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https://fortune.com/2024/09/07/boeing-st...-musk-iss/

NASA-Boeing astronaut Butch Wilmore on Starliner’s return: ‘We found some things we just could not get comfortable with’
NASA-Boeing astronaut Butch Wilmore explained on Friday why Starliner returned to Earth, leaving him and Sunita Williams in space . “In this case, we found some things we could just not get comfortable with putting us back in the Starliner…,” he said. NASA-Boeing astronaut Butch Wilmore explained on Friday why Starliner returned to Earth, 15 Sep 2024. In this still image taken from NASA TV broadcast, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore ® and Sunita Williams hold a news conference from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA-Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore spoke about their space station mission for the first time after the Starliner spacecraft successfully returned to Earth earlier in Sept. late Friday, Sunita Williams said she is loving her time up in space, while Wilmore said some trying times" since start of mission in space. He explained why Starliner returned to Earth without him & Sunita Williams.

Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore are still in space, duo went up to space on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft Calypso but come back home on a SpaceX craft in February 2025. Starliner, which faced technical issues during its spaceflight, landed back on Earth on September 7. 

1. 'Trying times': Wilmore said, "It's quite an evolution over last 3-mths have been involved from beginning in all processes of assessing our spacecraft Calypso, & was trying at times. There were some tough times all the way through. Also Read | Will Sunita Williams vote for US elections from space? ’It’s pretty cool’

 2. 'We found some things': Butch explained why Starliner left International Space Station without him and Sunita Williams. “In this case, we found some things we could just not get comfortable with putting us back in the Starliner when we have other options....we were very fortunate that we had space station and that we had other options to stay and come back in different way if that's what the data showed.

3. 'We ran out of time': Butch said he believes they could have got to the point where they have returned on Starliner, but "we simply ran out of time" b'cos there were tests & assessments that needed to be done, officials had to make decision on a timeline as Starliner mission was a short-term mission & a long-duration mission. "Had we had a little more time, have done it...we did have enough time to get end of the runway where we could say that we would come back at it.

4. Changes needed in Starliner: Willmore said, "We have lessons learnt that we will go through. We will have discussions" with NASA and Boeing regarding what needs to change in order to get Starliner back on track. He said things that need to change will change. "...when you have issues like those we had, there are some changes that need to be made...Boeing's on board with. We are all on board with that," he said.

NASA admitted to having a 'difference opinions' with Boeing during a discussion over the return plan for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. "I would say the teams were very split."
This is my happy place': Sunita Williams said, "happy place". I love up here in space. It's fun ...it adds a little different perspective." She said very peaceful in space.  "It's really difficult for me to imagine people on Earth not getting along...it's one planet we have should all really be happy that we are there together...," she added.
https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/na...82158.html