Seems that two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have been stranded on the ISS since June 5th. There was a coolant leak on their return vehicle, one that couldn't be fixed or worked around. Here is what is next on the agenda for them, maybe.
"Greater Than 50-50 Chance": SpaceX May Save Stranded Boeing Starliner Crew At ISS
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/greater-50-50-chance-spacex-may-save-stranded-boeing-starliner-crew-issThe two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, have been stranded on the ISS following Starliner's helium leaks and failing thrusters in early June.
NASA and Boeing have been working to resolve Starliner's issues, but progress has been limited.
The big story here is that, after two months, Boeing has yet to publicly ask Elon Musk's SpaceX for help. Optically, this would be a major blow to Boeing's image, especially considering the series of mid-air mishaps involving its 737Max commercial jets. Additionally, it's an election year for the Biden administration, which has been on a crusade against Trump and his supporters, but also is very anti-Musk. Any rescue mission by SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is undesirable news flow for Democrats.
However, a new report from Ars Technica, citing various sources, indicates SpaceX could be publicly called up to save the day.
Here's more from Ars Technica:
For a long time, it seemed almost certain that the astronauts would return to Earth inside Starliner. However, there has been a lot of recent activity at NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX that suggests that Wilmore and Williams could come home aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft rather than Starliner.The report continued:
One informed source said it was greater than a 50-50 chance that the crew would come back on Dragon. Another source said it was significantly more likely than not they would. To be clear, NASA has not made a final decision. This probably will not happen until at least next week. It is likely that Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator, will make the call....
