The NASA admitted Wednesday that there was “tension” during meetings with Boeing executives over how to bring back to Earth two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), although he denied the version that there were shouting matches.
The American space agency turned to SpaceX to rescue the astronauts due to safety concerns related to the capsule Starliner the Boeing which suffered thruster failures and helium leaks on its way to the ISS.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left in June for a week-long mission, but His return is now expected no earlier than February 2020.5, when the SpaceX Crew-9 mission returns.
Boeing has publicly insisted it was confident in its spacecraft, but the absence of its executives at recent NASA news conferences has fueled speculation of a breakdown in the relationship.
The New York Post cited sources as saying that Meetings between the two sides often ended in shouting matches..
Steve Stich, director of NASA’s commercial crew program, said that “anytime you’re in a meeting of this magnitude where there are these kinds of decisions, there’s some tension in the room.”
“I wouldn’t say it was a meeting of screams and shouts.“It was a tense technical discussion in which both sides listened carefully to all the data,” Stich told reporters.
Despite their extended stay, Wilmore and Williams remain in good spirits and in touch with their families. They are no longer relying on borrowed clothing, having been sent suits during a recent resupply mission, NASA said.
Starliner is scheduled to depart the ISS on Friday evening.Eastern Standard Time, before making a parachute-assisted landing in the western United States early Saturday.
Shortly after undocking, the spacecraft will perform a “booster burn” of its thrusters to ensure it moves away from the station and continues its journey toward Earth.