Tech
NASA finally sets a return date for its stranded astronauts
- READ MORE: Tim Peake reveals what life is REALLY like for NASA’s astronauts
NASA has finally set a return date for its stranded astronauts – and it seems the pair don’t have long to wait to come back to Earth.
Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to spend eight days on the International Space Station (ISS) but have been there for more than eight months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered propulsion problems.
Although their return craft has been docked with the station since September, Williams and Wilmore have been stuck while NASA prepares to send their replacements in the Crew 10 mission.
The mission was originally pushed back to late March, but the space agency now says it is ‘accelerating’ the launch to target Wednesday, March 12.
Crew 9, which includes Williams and Wilmore, will then spend a few days handing over to the new arrivals before making their way back to Earth.
The mission is scheduled to launch ‘pending mission readiness’, but further delays are possible if there is not an appropriate weather window.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, says: ‘Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges.
‘Our operational flexibility is enabled by the tremendous partnership between NASA and SpaceX and the agility SpaceX continues to demonstrate to safely meet the agency’s emerging needs.’
Wilmore and Williams first arrived at the ISS on June 5 last year aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft but became stranded after the experimental craft developed serious issues.
By the time the capsule arrived at the station, it had sprung a number of helium leaks, and five of its 28 thrusters had failed.
After weeks of tests, NASA ultimately decided that Starliner wasn’t safe enough to carry humans back to Earth and in September, the doomed spacecraft was sent home empty.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft they are scheduled to return on arrived later that month, but the pair must wait until March to use it.
Since Williams and Wilmore have become official members of NASA’s Crew 9 mission, they must wait to hand over with Crew 10 before leaving the station.
Originally, the Crew 10 mission was due to launch in February aboard a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
However, the mission had to be delayed when it emerged that SpaceX was not able to complete the construction and testing of the new capsule on time.
NASA explains that this latest scheduling change comes after SpaceX agreed to use a Crew Dragon capsule called Endurance which has already been used three times.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was plagued by technical issues even before it launched. By the time it arrived at the ISS, it had sprung more helium leaks and five of its 28 thrusters had failed, leaving Williams and Wilmore stranded
SpaceX and NASA are now working together to assess the spacecraft’s hardware, refurbish the interior, and get it ready for flight.
The capsule will launch with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Crew 10 will then meet with Williams and Wilmore on the ISS for a brief handover period window in which they will be familiarised with ongoing scientific and maintenance projects.
Finally, Crew 9 will return home with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Nick Hague alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Pending good weather conditions, the capsule should splash down off the coast of Florida.
This announcement comes after Donald Trump called for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to ‘go get’ the stranded astronauts and blamed delays on former president Joe Biden.
In a statement posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: ”I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to “go get” the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned by the Biden administration.’
He added: ‘Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!’
Having now become part of the NASA Crew 9 mission, Williams (pictured) and Wilmore must wait until the Crew 10 mission arrives so that they can hand over to their replacement crew
The mission to collect the stranded astronauts has been accelerated after SpaceX agreed to use a previously used Crew Dragon capsule rather than a new spacecraft which was not going to be ready in time
This comes after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (left) and Donald Trump (right) created confusion by claiming that Musk had been ordered to ‘go get’ the stranded astronauts, despite the mission being planned for months in advance
In response, Musk tweeted: ‘The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so.
‘Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.’
These statements spread widespread confusion on social media given that SpaceX had been tasked with bringing the pair home months ago by Biden administration.
Likewise, despite the most recent delays being caused by SpaceX, Musk has been quick to celebrate the accelerated timeline.
In a post on X Musk wrote: ‘They’re coming home.’
In January, Wilmore and Williams said their spirits were still high, adding that they had plenty of food and were enjoying their time on the space station.
Yet there has been growing concern for the pair’s health after images appeared to show Williams looking thin and gaunt.
Williams has pushed back against the claims, blaming her appearance of unusual fluid distribution in microgravity and claiming that she has actually gained muscle in her legs.
Pictures of mission commander Williams have since sparked health concerns due to her ‘gaunt’ appearance. Williams maintains that she has actually gained weight while in space and that her unusual appearance is due to ‘fluid shift’
But, in January, Williams admitted that she had forgotten what it was like to walk after 234 days in space.
‘I’ve been up here long enough, right now I’ve been trying to remember what it’s like to walk. I haven’t walked. I haven’t sat down. I haven’t laid down,’ she said during a video call with students at Needham High School in Massachusetts.
However, NASA maintains that their astronauts are trained for extended stays in space and that some deterioration of muscle function is entirely normal.
If Williams and Wilmore do return home in late March as expected, their mission will have lasted two months longer than a standard long-term ISS mission, which typically lasts six months.
While their protracted stay is notable, it has not yet surpassed Frank Rubio’s record-breaking 371 days aboard the ISS, which he completed in 2023 after the Russian spacecraft designated for his return developed a coolant leak.
Despite recent failures, Elon Musk insisted the world’s most powerful rocket will soon blast off to the Red Planet. The tech billionaire said human landings could begin before the end of the decade.
Provided by Deutsche Welle
© SpaceX/AFP
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Friday that his company’s massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026, carrying with it Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus.
In a post on X, Musk also suggested that human landings on Mars could begin as early as 2029 if the initial landings go well, though 2031 was more likely.
The update follows several recent disappointments for the world’s first private space firm and Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.
What is Starship and what will it do?
Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s plan to colonize Mars.
At 403 feet (123 meters) tall, about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, the rocket is designed to eventually be fully reusable.
Designed for deep space exploration, it is hoped Starship will make missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, making space travel more cost-effective and efficient.
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
However, before those missions can take place, Space X must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe and capable of complex in-orbit refueling, which is critical for deep space missions.
Multiple test flights of the Starship prototype have taken place, with several failures but also milestones like reaching space.
Earlier this month, SpaceX faced a setback when its latest test flight ended in a fiery explosion, its second failure this year.
Despite this, the firm’s approach of “fail fast, learn fast” has helped it become the world’s dominant launch services provider.
What is Optimus?
Also known as Tesla Bot, Optimus is a humanoid robot being developed by Musk’s electric vehicle company.
It’s designed to perform repetitive, dangerous, or mundane tasks that humans would rather avoid.
The tech billionaire revealed the robot at an event last year. saying he expects it to retail for $20,000 (€18,300) to $30,000.
Will Trump make Mars a priority?
In November, Reuters news agency cited sources saying that Musk’s dream of transporting humans to Mars would become a bigger national priority under US President Donald Trump.
The sources said that Musk’s desire for reforms of the Federal Aviation Administration, the US space and aviation regulator, could help the Mars ambitions.
Musk has frequently clashed with the FAA, accusing it of over-regulating SpaceX over safety and environmental concerns, which he said has slowed the development of Starship.
Trump also vowed in his inauguration speech in January “to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
However, Musk’s status as one of Trump’s closest advisors and his influence over federal regulators are raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest for his companies, including SpaceX.
Musk’s alignment with Trump, along with accusations of interference in European politics, has made him a target for fierce criticism, political roadblocks and potential legal action.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
Author: Nik Martin (with AFP, Reuters)
Tech
Mark Mann-Bryans: Hamilton Ferrari love-in must now become strictly business at Australian Grand Prix
It seems strange to suggest, after winning six world championships and some 84 grand prix with Mercedes, that Lewis Hamilton needed a new lease of life in Formula 1 – but that is exactly what he has enjoyed since moving to Ferrari.
The news of his switch to Italy was announced over a year ago but now he has swapped his silver arrow for a prancing horse, there is a renewed vigour to Hamilton, even on the cusp of his 19th season in F1.
He has done much to build an instant relationship with his new team and its famous fanbase, which flocked en masse to Fiorano on a cold, foggy January morning to watch Hamilton complete 30 steady laps in old machinery.
But the occasion also meant something to Hamilton, both his mother and father were in attendance as he donned the red race suit (outside of a photoshoot) for the first time.
The fact he had already posted a picture of him wearing his new overalls, breaking the F1-corner of the internet in the process, was another example of how he was being welcomed into the Ferrari fold.
The most-liked F1 image in the history of Instagram and a picture that instantly showed his financial worth to the team, social media lapped up the content, with Hamilton also snapped outside Enzo Ferrari’s historic home, draped in Italian fashion and in front of an F40 – a veritable easter egg hunt for fans.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
© Autosport.com
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
His Duolingo clearly having taken a battering over the winter, Hamilton then turned his hand to speaking Italian in front of the Ferrari factory crew – he always knew what he needed to commit to, especially given how ingrained in the team’s culture his new team-mate Charles Leclerc already is, to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Away from his new team, Hamilton has also started to live his best life and, at 40, probably became one of the oldest TikTok users when he set up his new account on the eve of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, amassing 245,000 followers in less than a day.
How chilled is the knight of the realm? Well, posting a video of him ‘appearing’ in one of his favourite movies, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ and roping in Hollywood actor Ed Norton alongside him shows he is having plenty of fun – although maybe proof that it was wise for Hamilton’s role in the upcoming F1 film to be largely behind the camera…
However, the good will, the long welcome, the red carpet and – most importantly – the hopes pinned on him to deliver a first drivers’ title to Maranello since 2007 (incidentally the year he debuted in the championship) will all quickly dissipate if he does not deliver on track.
For all of his record-equalling seven titles, Hamilton is up against a strong, confident, fast team-mate in Leclerc, while his somewhat alarming drop-off in qualifying performance will also need addressing.
Pre-season testing often yields little correlation to performance once the chips are down, although Hamilton setting the second-fastest time across the three days will have been a boost.
x
To Albert Park, then, where the Hamilton/Ferrari journey begins in earnest.
A track where he has won only twice (2008 and 2015), victory will not be expected of him this time around, given the pace of the McLarens, but a strong showing when it matters will start Hamilton off on the right foot.
The latest stage of the latter part of his glittering career has started with kind words, iconic imagery and Matthew Broderick but now has to switch to pure performance on the track.
It might be a challenge but, as Hamilton riffs in his modern-day Ferris Bueller cameo before driving off in a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder: “Relax. You fellas have nothing to worry about, I’m a professional.”
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