Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams went to the International Space Station in the Starliner capsule. She removed its seat. Butch Wilmore helped her in this task. Both of them are stuck on the space station since June 5. Boeing Company’s Starliner spacecraft will separate from the space station tomorrow i.e. on September 6.
This work will be done at around 3:15 am on the night of 6 September. After travelling for about seven hours, the capsule will land on earth at around 10 am on 7 September. The landing will be done at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. This spacecraft will now come without any passengers. That means there will be no astronauts in it.
Also read: The Starliner capsule carrying Sunita Williams to the space station will return to Earth on this date
NASA will also broadcast it live on its social media handles and website. Before sending the Starliner down, its seat has been removed because now humans are not returning in it. So why should it be sent empty? The garbage removed from the space station will come back in this spacecraft. That means now it will return to the ground not as a passenger capsule but as a cargo capsule.
What are Sunita and Butch doing at this time?
Veteran astronauts Sunita and Butch are currently removing unnecessary things from the Starliner and making space in it. So that as much stuff as possible can be sent back to Earth in it. Both of them removed the seats of the Starliner very carefully and meticulously. After this, a photographic survey of the entire capsule was done. The cabin was inspected thoroughly. So that there is no problem while leaving the space station.
Also read: Starliner Mission Abort: Boeing’s faulty spacecraft will return to Earth without Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
Why was Sunita and Butch made to do this work?
Actually, Sunita and Butch, who went on an 8-day trip, have been in the space station for three months. In such a situation, many types of physical problems arise. Those problems are checked during the work of the astronaut. Therefore, Sunita and Butch were asked to do some work in the Starliner from Houston, the headquarters of the space station on Earth.
Which includes removing the seat. Inspecting it. Preparing for its landing. Looking at things closely. Reading the eye chart. With this, the doctor sitting on the ground assesses their physical capacity. So that it can be known how much strength is there in the body of both of them. Are they okay or not. What effect is it having on the body.
Also read: What is NASA’s Crew-9 program, through which Sunita Williams will return to Earth in February
Why the decision to send the Starliner empty?
NASA scientists and administration are scared of the two accidents that happened earlier. Due to which the decision was taken to land the Starliner empty. These accidents are- Challenger and Columbia space shuttle accidents. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is so affected by these accidents that he decided to land the Starliner empty. The Columbia space shuttle accident happened on 1 February 2003. The Challenger accident happened in January 1986. In both the accidents, a total of 14 NASA astronauts were killed. Among them was Indian-origin Kalpana Chawla.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)