By Futurism dot Com

NASA is still busy evaluating the risks involved in returning NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded on board the International Space Station since early June, to Earth.

Their ride up, Boeing’s Starliner, has been plagued with technical issues that have forced the space agency to come up with several contingency plans.

While NASA and Boeing maintain that Starliner is ready to take the two crew members down to the surface in the case of an emergency — despite the possibility of several thrusters malfunctioning — even alternative rideshare options could expose Williams and Wilmore to considerable risks.

For one, Starliner’s spacesuits aren’t compatible with those used on board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. That means if the pair were to return on board the SpaceX capsule currently docked to the station, which is one rescue plan under consideration by NASA, they’d be flying without wearing a suit, as NASA confirmed during a teleconference call last week — an unfortunate reality for the space agency that will likely factor into its upcoming decision.

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https://futurism.com/stranded-astronauts-spacex-boeing-spacesuits-incompatible