Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been unexpectedly “stranded” in space for over two months. Initially, they docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 as part of Boeing Starliner’s inaugural test mission, with plans to stay for just eight days.
As concerns grow about their return to Earth, a former US military Space System Commander, Rudy Ridolfi, has outlined three potentially catastrophic scenarios that could occur if they attempt to return in the faulty spacecraft. Debate over Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore return mission
NASA is currently weighing whether to proceed with the Boeing Starliner’s return mission or to launch a rescue mission using SpaceX.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ridolfi explained that for a safe reentry, the Starliner’s service module must position the capsule at the correct angle. If the alignment is incorrect, the consequences could be dire.
Potential risks of misalignment
Ridolfi warned that if the capsule is not properly lined up, it could either burn up upon reentry be flung back into space. If the service modu angles the capsule too steeply during reentry, the heat shield might fail, leading to catastrophic overheating.
Scenario 1: Stuck in space
The first possible scenario is that the Starliner could remain stuck in space with malfunctioning thrusters and only a 96-hour oxygen supply, likely if the capsule bounces off the atmosphere during a misaligned reentry attempt.
> Scenario 2: Failed reentry
The second scenario involves the spacecraft failing to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere due to a faulty alignment, leading to the same outcon of being stranded in space.
Worst-case scenario: Vaporisation
The worst-case scenario, Ridolfi noted, is the astronauts being vaporised if the capsule enters the atmosphere at too steep an angle, causing it to burn up due to excessive friction.
