Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has been compelled to extend her stay in space along with her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore. While NASA is exploring options to bring back the astronauts safely soon, there are still many potential risks that they need to take care of. As per a CNBC report, Rudy Ridolfi, a former commander of US military space systems, has stated that there is a chance that the astronauts will be stranded in space with just 96 hours of oxygen supply.
He explained that this situation might arise if Starliner, with malfunctioning thrusters, attempts to re-enter at an improper angle, causing it to bounce off the Earth’s atmosphere and remain in the orbit.
Initially scheduled to return in 8 days, it has been delayed by over 2 months now due to technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft. It is expected that it is delayed by 8 months. Ridolfi also revealed two more possible scenarios that the astronauts might face on their way back to Earth.
Another possible scenario is that the spacecraft might fail to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere due to faulty alignment. If this happens, the Starliner will be stranded in space indefinitely. Lastly, he added that there is also a chance that puts astronauts’ lives in danger. He said that if the spacecraft tries to enter at a steep angle, it could lead to failure of Starliner’s heat shield under extreme friction and heat. This will result in spacecraft burning up before reaching the surface, potentially killing off the two astronauts onboard.
As per another report by CNBC, Williams, 58, is also facing eyesight issues in space. This condition arises due to long exposure with microgravity. Known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), this eyesight issue affects fluid distribution in the body that leads to visual disturbances such as blurred vision and changes in eye structure.
NASA is also considering bringing back the astronauts in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft that is scheduled for departure in September 2024. However, one of the major safety concerns here is the incompatibility of spacesuits with Crew Dragon. NASA is working on finding a solution to this issue and considering additional SpaceX fight suits with the Crew-9 Dragon mission.