Astronaut Sunita Williams likely facing eyesight issues aboard ISS as NASA explores alternative solutions for return | Technology News
Astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) along with her peer Barry Wilmore, seems to be facing a health issue. The duo’s return on Boeing’s Starliner has encountered some serious complications, delaying it for days. Even as Boeing considers alternatives like SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to bring the astronauts back, new reports state that Williams, 58, is experiencing eyesight issues on the ISS. This condition is reportedly linked to the prolonged exposure to microgravity.
Williams’ condition is known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and it reportedly affects the fluid distribution in the body leading to issues with vision. This condition causes blurry vision and can also change the structure of the eye. Scans of Wiliams’ retina, cornea, and lens have been conducted to gauge her eye health.
On the other hand, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon mission is slated for September 2024. Williams and Wilmore are likely to return to Earth on this mission which will prolong their stay in space to over eight months from the initially planned eight days. The Crew Dragon mission is expected to return to Earth in February 2025.
Boeing has been harshly criticised for its delayed and costly space missions. Now, opting for the SpaceX spacecraft will be another dampener for the aerospace company. In the last couple of months, numerous reports have suggested that Boeing has been grappling with a series of technical issues and delays that resulted in monumental cost.
Meanwhile, another key challenge Nasa is facing at present is the incompatibility of spacesuits. This is because the spacesuits that have been designed for Boeing’s Starliner are not fit for the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Essentially, if Williams and Wilmore are to return on the Dragon, they may have to ditch their space suits which could raise more safety concerns. Nasa is currently working to address these issues and reports also suggest that Nasa is considering dispatching SpaceX suits along with the Crew-9 Dragon mission.
What happened to Starliner?
Boeing’s Starliner mission is a milestone in space exploration by private players in the US, as so far, only Elon Musk’s SpaceX has succeeded in sending US astronauts to space. Boeing Starliner is officially known as CST-100 and is considered a key aspect of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program aimed at sending astronauts to ISS via private players.
On June 5, Starliner was launched with the crew expected to spend around eight days in orbit as a test-run. It was slated to return to Earth on June 14. The spacecraft closed in on the ISS a day after launch, however, it suffered some last-minute thruster failures which nearly averted its docking to the station. Nine days later, the undocking of the spacecraft was pushed to June 22, following which the astronauts got on a call with Boeing mission managers to discuss the end of the mission and review the flight operations.
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Following the delay, Boeing announced that the astronauts would remain on the ISS. However, there was no return date decided. A spokesperson from the company said that the helium leaks and thruster issues reported earlier have been stabilised. In the following days, Williams and Wilmore expressed confidence in their return on the Boeing Starliner in a press conference from the ISS. As days progressed, there were numerous back and forths. Earlier this month, a Nasa official said that the duo could return on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in February 2025 if Starliner continues to be unsafe.
Meanwhile, Nasa and Boeing have been reported to have conducted over 100k simulations to zero in on the best approach for their return. Reportedly, the decision on how to bring the astronauts back will be made by the end of this month.
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