BLACKSBURG, Va. – Two astronauts will stay on the International Space Station until February after the announcement the Boeing spacecraft Starliner will return empty.
We talked to an expert at Virginia Tech about this and she said during the initial launch the crew experienced issues.
She said the decision to not bring the astronauts was not something made lightly, and is more out of an abundance of caution.
“Boeing continues to say that their analyses show that the Starliner will be able to return safely,” said Ella Atkins, professor in the aerospace and ocean engineering department at Virginia Tech. “NASA has not disputed Boeing, but they have said they have had a lot of discussions, and they have decided to air on the side of safety and conservatism.”
She said the astronauts are not in any added danger, and they will continue to conduct research while they are there.