Astronauts confident in Boeing capsule's safe return: Williams.
During their first news conference from orbit, Williams and Wilmore addressed reporters while engineers worked to fix technical problems that had caused them to stay longer than expected.
Washington, DC: NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who were scheduled to return to Earth last month after visiting the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, may need to stay in space for an additional few weeks, maybe until August of this year.
In their first press conference from space, Williams and Wilmore spoke to reporters while engineers worked to resolve the technical problems that had kept them in orbit longer than expected.
Due to helium leaks and malfunctioning engines, the Starliner's launch was beset by a string of delays that raised safety concerns. Williams and Wilmore are the first members of the human crew on the Starliner capsule's historic test flight, which is built by Boeing.
The two astronauts are optimistic that they will be able to return to Earth with the Starliner. However, NASA has not said when the astronauts are expected to return.
According to a CNN story, Williams stated, "I feel confident that, if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we could get in (the Starliner spacecraft) and we could undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to come home."
"With that, we're very confident," Wilmore stated.
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