Starliner crew turns the page, looks forward to extended station stay
Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams look ahead to a productive science mission.
Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia."
Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams look ahead to a productive science mission.
The spacewalkers tested new SpaceX-designed pressure suits that could eventually be used by civilian astronauts on the moon and Mars.
Don Pettit is replacing astronaut Tracy Dyson, who plans to return to Earth on Sept. 23, after a six-month stay aboard the space station.
The Europa Clipper remains on track for launch Oct. 10 to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa, where a vast ocean lurks beneath an icy crust.
The mission features the first non-government spacewalk by billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis.
The Starliner slammed into the discernible atmosphere 400,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean before descending to a parachute-and-airbag assisted touchdown.
Leaving its crew behind, the Starliner is expected to undock and head for landing in New Mexico to wrap up a disappointing test flight.
Crew 9 commander Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson will stay behind when the Crew 9 mission takes off on Sept. 24.
Blue Origin launched six passengers, including a NASA-sponsored researcher and the youngest woman to fly in space, in the company's eighth crewed spaceflight.
The crash-landing of a SpaceX booster ended a string of 267 successful recoveries in a row.
The landing mishap ended a string of 267 successful booster recoveries.
SpaceX is waiting for better weather in the splashdown zone where the crew will end its five-day mission.
Along with the first private-sector spacewalk, the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew also will set a new Earth-orbit altitude record.
The Starliner's two-person crew now will stay in space until next February and return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
After months of testing and debate, NASA is poised to decide whether or not to bring two astronauts home aboard Boeing's Starliner.