Space Stories: Starliner Still Stuck, Space Walks Nixed, and ISS Artifacts Being Considered

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Photo of the Islands of the Caribbean Sea itaken by an astronaut from inside the Cupola on the International Space Station. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest related to the International Space Station (ISS).

—WFLA.com: “Astronauts Remain in Space as Boeing’s Starliner Mission Exceeds 45-day Window at ISS“

Two astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner remain stuck in space as the mission exceeded its 45-day battery window being docked at the International Space Station. The capsule, which arrived at the space station on June 6, was initially approved to stay for up to 45 days but with no return date set, the astronauts’ stay has been “extended indefinitely,” NBC affiliate WESH reported. NASA and Boeing said the capsule’s batteries are performing well despite the extended stay. Tuesday marked 47 days since they’ve been at the ISS.

—Space.com: “NASA delays ISS Spacewalks Indefinitely to Investigate Spacesuit Coolant Leak“

NASA says its next spacewalk will be delayed indefinitely until engineers understand more about what caused a coolant leak on June 24. Tracy Dyson, a NASA astronaut, had a brief spacesuit leak a month ago while still in the hatch of the International Space Station (ISS). She and Mike Barrett had just opened the door for a 6.5-hour spacewalk for maintenance activities, when showers of ice particles erupted from a spacesuit connection to the ISS. The spacewalk was suspended, but the astronauts were never in any danger, NASA has emphasized.

—Collectspace.com: “NASA Looking at What Artifacts to Save from ISS Before 2030 Demise“

Two years after stating there were no plans to save artifacts from the destructive end of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA is now in the early stages of identifying what small parts of the orbiting laboratory to preserve. Agency officials on Wednesday (July 17) shared the preliminary details during a media briefing about the space station’s end of life in 2030 and the selection of SpaceX to build the vehicle that will move the massive complex out of orbit such that it mostly burns up in Earth’s atmosphere and plunge any surviving fragments into a remote area of the ocean.