Boeing Starliner astronauts may be 'stuck' aboard space station until February

Persistent problems aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft may extend the stay of two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station from eight days to eight months , NASA officials say.

Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have been on the space station for 70 days, far beyond their original 10-day mission to test the Starliner capsule. They could be there until February.

The crew may return on Starliner. Alternatively, they could join NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission, scheduled for liftoff on Sept. 24. In that scenario, the Crew-9's SpaceX Dragon would launch with two astronauts instead of four.

Williams and Wilmore would become part of Crew-9, stay aboard the space station into 2025, and return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon . NASA says it will make a decision by the end of August .

In the meantime, the two – who have been aboard the space station on previous missions – are assisting with research and station maintenance.

What went wrong with Starliner?

After technical delays , the two pilots launched aboard the Starliner crew capsule on June 5. It was the Starliner’s first crewed mission, known as Crew Flight Test , to test its flight and docking capabilities at the space station.

However, a helium leak developed that affected control of the capsule’s thrusters, used for docking and maneuvering.

Starliner docked at the space station on June 6. It remains there while engineers try to figure out what went wrong and decide the best option to get Williams and Wilmore back to Earth.

NASA and Boeing say the Starliner astronauts aren't "stranded" on the space station. While their extended mission is unexpected, the space station has room and resources to accommodate the Starliner crew.

An uncrewed supply ship delivery included clothes and personal items for Williams and Wilmore. It arrived at the space station on Aug. 6.

Where do astronauts sleep – or camp out on – the space station?

The International Space Station has seven permanent Crew Quarters , sleeping spaces for astronauts. U.S. Crew Quarters, with two laptops, personal items and sleeping bags , are about 74 cubic feet, or a little larger than an old-time phone booth , astronauts say.

But there are other places at the space station where astronauts can sleep: extra space that's used during handovers , the short periods in which new crew members replace existing ones.

"When there are more astronauts aboard the station than crew quarters, crew members work with flight controllers to identify temporary “campout” locations for the crew to sleep during the short handover period," NASA says.

Those locations include the U.S. Quest Airlock , attached to Node 1, or the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo . There's also CASA, or Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation , in the European Columbus Module, the European Space Agency says.

Astronauts can even sleep in docked spacecraft, NASA says.

Sleeping locations and their current occupants:

• ◾ U.S. Harmony Module /Node 2 : U.S. astronauts Tracy Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps.
• ◾ European Columbus Module : Williams.
• ◾ Japanese Experiment Module Kibo : Wilmore.
• ◾ Russian Zvezda Module /Service Module : Two Russian cosmonauts.
• ◾ Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module Nauka : One Russian cosmonaut.

While nine astronauts might seem like a lot, the space station hosted 13 in July 2009 . That included the six space station crew members and seven astronauts on the Endeavor STS-127 mission, which delivered modules to the station.

How do you sleep on the space station?

The space station doesn't have conventional beds. Astronauts in microgravity rest in specially designed sleeping bags, which can be tied to walls.

The arrangement might look uncomfortable, says astronaut Chris Hadfield in this NASA/CSA video . But without gravity, "you can completely relax," he says.

Space station astronauts usually get eight hours of sleep per day. In addition to the scientific and maintenance work they do, crew members must physically exercise about two hours every day. This is to counteract the absence of Earth's gravity, which weakens muscles and bones .

What's docked at the space station besides Starliner?

Starliner problems started before launch

Starliner’s problems started before its June 5 launch.

The original launch date was May 6. That was delayed when a problem with an oxygen relief valve was found on the Atlas V rocket's Centaur Stage.

Engineers found a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module on May 21. That delayed the launch until June 1. However, a computer problem canceled that launch.

Starliner successfully launched on June 5. NASA later said two more helium leaks were discovered after Starliner separated from its Atlas V rocket and entered Earth orbit.

The craft loses five thrusters and delays docking at the space station. Engineers reset the thrusters and Starliner docked at the space station on June 6.

However, Starliner’s return, originally scheduled for June 13, was delayed three times as engineers continue to analyze its propulsion systems.

Contributing: Brooke Edwards, Florida Today; Eric Lagatta, Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY

Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; NASA; European Space Agency; Canadian Space Agency

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boeing Starliner astronauts may be 'stuck' aboard space station until February