A couple years ago, we made the decision — knowing that this was a test flight — to make sure that we had the right resources, supplies and training for the crew, just in case they needed to be on ISS, for whatever reason, for a longer period of time,
No one has had to go on a diet or calorie restriction,
We need to bring those folks home and get back to a normal crew size on the ISS,
While they’re up there, we have extra crew, we have extra hands, and they can do a lot more work. But they’re also using up more consumables, more supplies,
Butch and Suni are fully trained,
We do like to keep our options open so we do have some items such as clothes … some personal food items for (Williams and Wilmore), things like that,
This flight is a dream for her,
I know this is not the decision we had hoped for, but we stand ready to carry out the action's necessary to support NASA's decision,
A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine, ... and so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety.”
The NASA and Boeing teams have completed a tremendous amount of testing and analysis, and this flight test is providing critical information on Starliner's performance in space. Our efforts will help prepare for the uncrewed return and will greatly benefit future corrective actions for the spacecraft,
The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not accepting more risk than necessary for its crew,
Starliner is a very capable spacecraft and, ultimately, this comes down to needing a higher level of certainty to perform a crewed return,
The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency's safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission,
Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”
A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,
There was just too much risk for the crew,
This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,
You just sort of have to roll with it.
We bring in representatives from all of the related centers, the technical authorities, the NASA engineering, and safety center flight operations,
From this day forward, flight control will be known by two words: Tough and competent,