From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. This is the morning edition. I'm Samantha Cylinder Morris. It's Tuesday, August 27th, when two American astronauts took off from Earth on June 5th. It was meant to be a triumph, not just for the astronauts, who would spend a coveted eight days on the International Space Station, but also for Boeing, the company that created the spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the station for research. Almost three months later, the astronauts are still stuck in space and unlikely to come back down to Earth until next year. Today, digital foreign editor Chris Zappone on what caused the mistake and what effect the incident is having on the new space race.

From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. This is the morning edition. I'm Samantha Cylinder Morris. It's Tuesday, August 27th, when two American astronauts took off from Earth on June 5th. It was meant to be a triumph, not just for the astronauts, who would spend a coveted eight days on the International Space Station, but also for Boeing, the company that created the spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the station for research. Almost three months later, the astronauts are still stuck in space and unlikely to come back down to Earth until next year. Today, digital foreign editor Chris Zappone on what caused the mistake and what effect the incident is having on the new space race.

So, Chris, two.

So, Chris, two.

Astronauts have now been stuck up in space for 83 days, and we've just found out they're going to be up there a whole lot longer. And for listeners just tuning into this news, they are two American astronauts, and they were supposed to go for only a week, but they're now stuck on the International Space Station until next year. So, Chris, what are they going to be doing that whole time? Is there enough food and water? And I mean, just how bored are they going to be?

Astronauts have now been stuck up in space for 83 days, and we've just found out they're going to be up there a whole lot longer. And for listeners just tuning into this news, they are two American astronauts, and they were supposed to go for only a week, but they're now stuck on the International Space Station until next year. So, Chris, what are they going to be doing that whole time? Is there enough food and water? And I mean, just how bored are they going to be?

Well, the good news is there's plenty of food and water. There was a resupply mission that has just gone up there. So the ISS is fully stocked. So that is one thing that they don't have to worry about. They're well supplied now what they're going to be doing up there. Well, apparently there's always something to do aboard the International Space Station. Right. So it's a it's a hub of research and scientific activity. And apparently the duo, the two astronauts and that would be Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Suni Williams have already spent quite a bit of time doing research and science projects. And so they've been busy, and there's a lot more for them to do in the following months to come.

Well, the good news is there's plenty of food and water. There was a resupply mission that has just gone up there. So the ISS is fully stocked. So that is one thing that they don't have to worry about. They're well supplied now what they're going to be doing up there. Well, apparently there's always something to do aboard the International Space Station. Right. So it's a it's a hub of research and scientific activity. And apparently the duo, the two astronauts and that would be Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Suni Williams have already spent quite a bit of time doing research and science projects. And so they've been busy, and there's a lot more for them to do in the following months to come.

Okay, so far, so impressive. But we've got to turn now to failures at the heart of this story. So can you tell us how did this happen in the first place that they've ended up stranded there essentially.

Okay, so far, so impressive. But we've got to turn now to failures at the heart of this story. So can you tell us how did this happen in the first place that they've ended up stranded there essentially.

Well, so to back up their original mission, it was to do the crewed test flight of the Starliner capsule, which is made by Boeing, the aerospace company. And in doing this test, they were going to fly up to the International Space Station. They dock, they come aboard, they make sure that all aspects of this capsule are functional and that everything is very smooth. And then once that's all clear, they come back after eight days, as the plan was. Then the capsule would be certified for use, and then it would become part of NASA's fleet of space vehicles, right. That they could use to to travel to the ES. Instead, what happened is, as they were close to docking, they noticed that they were having some trouble with their thrusters, and they could not be sure why they were having this trouble with the thrusters. There was also a leak of helium, which had been an earlier problem in some of the uncrewed tests and some of the tests of this capsule. And so adding all this together, it made NASA have to stop and say, look, is this actually safe for them to come back on this capsule? And the answer erring on the side of caution was it's not completely safe. So it's still the capsule still attached to the ISS. It can still be used in an emergency. But the plan right now is for the capsule itself to come back uncrewed and then another capsule to come back, and that's going to bring them home. But that won't be until the beginning of next year. And then it.

Well, so to back up their original mission, it was to do the crewed test flight of the Starliner capsule, which is made by Boeing, the aerospace company. And in doing this test, they were going to fly up to the International Space Station. They dock, they come aboard, they make sure that all aspects of this capsule are functional and that everything is very smooth. And then once that's all clear, they come back after eight days, as the plan was. Then the capsule would be certified for use, and then it would become part of NASA's fleet of space vehicles, right. That they could use to to travel to the ES. Instead, what happened is, as they were close to docking, they noticed that they were having some trouble with their thrusters, and they could not be sure why they were having this trouble with the thrusters. There was also a leak of helium, which had been an earlier problem in some of the uncrewed tests and some of the tests of this capsule. And so adding all this together, it made NASA have to stop and say, look, is this actually safe for them to come back on this capsule? And the answer erring on the side of caution was it's not completely safe. So it's still the capsule still attached to the ISS. It can still be used in an emergency. But the plan right now is for the capsule itself to come back uncrewed and then another capsule to come back, and that's going to bring them home. But that won't be until the beginning of next year. And then it.

Was just on Saturday that NASA made the decision that they're going to actually have to stay up there until February. You mentioned safety, but were there other factors?

Was just on Saturday that NASA made the decision that they're going to actually have to stay up there until February. You mentioned safety, but were there other factors?

Well, it's.

Well, it's.

Sort of a logistics thing. It's what capsules will be available to take them back safely in time. So NASA is in the very slow process of building up its capacity to get crews to and from the International Space Station. But in doing that, they have to do it in a safe way, so they don't have an availability of another capsule that can carry these two astronauts safely and with enough space until the beginning of next year. So, you know, the other probably consideration is maybe some people would be hesitant to say this, but because space is such a highly public activity and there's a lot of perceptions about sort of national competence, national ability, if you recall, in the space race back in the 1960s, that was all about sending a message about what a nation was capable of. I think if this really went wrong, right, if if they had a disaster up there, if people got hurt or people died, if the capsule became unusable. All of this is going to reflect on the on NASA's space program. It's certainly reflecting heavily on Boeing, which as a company has has had its share of issues in the past year or so, with the 737 door coming off. Other issues about quality control with their planes. So this is a risk that Boeing itself cannot really afford to be cavalier with. They have to make sure that they get this right, even as painful as this is for their public relations department.

Sort of a logistics thing. It's what capsules will be available to take them back safely in time. So NASA is in the very slow process of building up its capacity to get crews to and from the International Space Station. But in doing that, they have to do it in a safe way, so they don't have an availability of another capsule that can carry these two astronauts safely and with enough space until the beginning of next year. So, you know, the other probably consideration is maybe some people would be hesitant to say this, but because space is such a highly public activity and there's a lot of perceptions about sort of national competence, national ability, if you recall, in the space race back in the 1960s, that was all about sending a message about what a nation was capable of. I think if this really went wrong, right, if if they had a disaster up there, if people got hurt or people died, if the capsule became unusable. All of this is going to reflect on the on NASA's space program. It's certainly reflecting heavily on Boeing, which as a company has has had its share of issues in the past year or so, with the 737 door coming off. Other issues about quality control with their planes. So this is a risk that Boeing itself cannot really afford to be cavalier with. They have to make sure that they get this right, even as painful as this is for their public relations department.

And so what.

And so what.

Is the International Space Station actually used for? Are there other astronauts up there at the moment?

Is the International Space Station actually used for? Are there other astronauts up there at the moment?

There are, and it is. So it's the International Space Station is made up of astronauts from the US. There's a Japanese astronauts, Russian astronauts. Because obviously this is something that came about in sort of more peaceful times, I guess, or more harmonious times between the US and Russia. There's also European astronauts from the ESA, European Space Agency. So they rotate through and they bring different astronauts through at different times. So there's this matter of sort of transportation logistics of who can get up there at what time, based on the capacity that the various space programs have. So just for a little bit of background. So after the space shuttle program ended in the US, that ended the ability for the US to get its own astronauts to the space station. So they were becoming more and more reliant on paid for trips from the Russian space Agency. And the Russians charged quite a bit. They used very sort of standard rocket that they've been using for decades, but it was very reliable. But over time, the US wanted to get away from that because it was just a matter of having their own capability to get their astronauts into space. And then, of course, there's the overlay of the geopolitical ramifications as well. So that's where NASA put out the bid to say, look, we want the private sector to be able to do this. And this has been the plan with the US space program all along. If you go back even to the 1960s, there was this idea that they would have the private sector filling in. And so in that you saw SpaceX bidding with their Dragon capsule, which has been pretty successful, I think more than 40 missions so far. And then Boeing had their Starliner capsule. And this has been the laggard. It's been beset with cost overruns. And it's something that NASA has still expressed confidence in Boeing to get it right. But it's just taking a lot longer than expected. But once the Starliner is fully functional and the Dragon capsule is functional from space, you'll have this sort of competitive energy and the private sector that's allowing exponential increase in the ability of getting astronauts into space. And this is something that is sort of a long term strategic goal that NASA and the and the U.S. and Western governments have.

There are, and it is. So it's the International Space Station is made up of astronauts from the US. There's a Japanese astronauts, Russian astronauts. Because obviously this is something that came about in sort of more peaceful times, I guess, or more harmonious times between the US and Russia. There's also European astronauts from the ESA, European Space Agency. So they rotate through and they bring different astronauts through at different times. So there's this matter of sort of transportation logistics of who can get up there at what time, based on the capacity that the various space programs have. So just for a little bit of background. So after the space shuttle program ended in the US, that ended the ability for the US to get its own astronauts to the space station. So they were becoming more and more reliant on paid for trips from the Russian space Agency. And the Russians charged quite a bit. They used very sort of standard rocket that they've been using for decades, but it was very reliable. But over time, the US wanted to get away from that because it was just a matter of having their own capability to get their astronauts into space. And then, of course, there's the overlay of the geopolitical ramifications as well. So that's where NASA put out the bid to say, look, we want the private sector to be able to do this. And this has been the plan with the US space program all along. If you go back even to the 1960s, there was this idea that they would have the private sector filling in. And so in that you saw SpaceX bidding with their Dragon capsule, which has been pretty successful, I think more than 40 missions so far. And then Boeing had their Starliner capsule. And this has been the laggard. It's been beset with cost overruns. And it's something that NASA has still expressed confidence in Boeing to get it right. But it's just taking a lot longer than expected. But once the Starliner is fully functional and the Dragon capsule is functional from space, you'll have this sort of competitive energy and the private sector that's allowing exponential increase in the ability of getting astronauts into space. And this is something that is sort of a long term strategic goal that NASA and the and the U.S. and Western governments have.

We'll be right back. Now, Chris, you did mention there that there. You know, it's high stakes really for Boeing's Starliner, because there is quite a backstory to the problems that Boeing's been plagued with. But first, I'd love to ask you to tell us a little bit about the two astronauts who are actually stuck up in space. What can you tell me about them?

We'll be right back. Now, Chris, you did mention there that there. You know, it's high stakes really for Boeing's Starliner, because there is quite a backstory to the problems that Boeing's been plagued with. But first, I'd love to ask you to tell us a little bit about the two astronauts who are actually stuck up in space. What can you tell me about them?

They're both very experienced astronauts who have spent something like 500 days of time and space between them. So they've been in space multiple times. The first one is Barry Butch Wilmore, so he's a retired U.S. Navy captain. He spent time as a fighter pilot, flew combat missions off of aircraft carriers during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. He was a flight instructor. So sort of a classic, uh, you know, astronaut profile. It's sort of what you would expect from the movies. And then the other one is Sunita Suni Williams, who is a former naval pilot. She became a test pilot as well. She has a very strong background also in athletics. Very interesting thing about Suni Williams is that in 2007, she became the first person to complete a marathon in space, so she competed virtually in the Boston Marathon on a treadmill in orbit. And it took her something like four hours and 24 minutes. So pretty impressive timing. So, you know, these are people that are very familiar in space. And I think when you hear this argument that they are that this is like a vacation for them, they're so glad to be there. There is an element of truth. I mean, if you're an astronaut and you spend most of your time training, you want to have that payoff and being in space. And I think that that's, you know, what we're seeing here. It's just that the conditions of getting there aren't exactly as controlled as one would hope. Having said that, I think if I was stuck in space for eight months, I might not I might not feel the same way. But I'm not an astronaut.

They're both very experienced astronauts who have spent something like 500 days of time and space between them. So they've been in space multiple times. The first one is Barry Butch Wilmore, so he's a retired U.S. Navy captain. He spent time as a fighter pilot, flew combat missions off of aircraft carriers during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. He was a flight instructor. So sort of a classic, uh, you know, astronaut profile. It's sort of what you would expect from the movies. And then the other one is Sunita Suni Williams, who is a former naval pilot. She became a test pilot as well. She has a very strong background also in athletics. Very interesting thing about Suni Williams is that in 2007, she became the first person to complete a marathon in space, so she competed virtually in the Boston Marathon on a treadmill in orbit. And it took her something like four hours and 24 minutes. So pretty impressive timing. So, you know, these are people that are very familiar in space. And I think when you hear this argument that they are that this is like a vacation for them, they're so glad to be there. There is an element of truth. I mean, if you're an astronaut and you spend most of your time training, you want to have that payoff and being in space. And I think that that's, you know, what we're seeing here. It's just that the conditions of getting there aren't exactly as controlled as one would hope. Having said that, I think if I was stuck in space for eight months, I might not I might not feel the same way. But I'm not an astronaut.

We're not made of the same stuff. We're not the right stuff. Sorry, Chris.

We're not made of the same stuff. We're not the right stuff. Sorry, Chris.

That's right.

That's right.

And with any luck, I guess they will share the perspective of Chris Hadfield. He, of course, was the Canadian former astronaut. And he wrote on X that long missions are what astronauts work their entire career for. I'd take it in a heartbeat.

And with any luck, I guess they will share the perspective of Chris Hadfield. He, of course, was the Canadian former astronaut. And he wrote on X that long missions are what astronauts work their entire career for. I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Yeah, no, it sounds very positive. But so there are, you know, I mean, there have been other cases where people have been, you know, basically stuck in space or there for longer than they expected to be. I mean, this is part of the risk of space travel. It's an adventure. You don't know how exactly how it's going to end or what you're going to find on the way.

Yeah, no, it sounds very positive. But so there are, you know, I mean, there have been other cases where people have been, you know, basically stuck in space or there for longer than they expected to be. I mean, this is part of the risk of space travel. It's an adventure. You don't know how exactly how it's going to end or what you're going to find on the way.

And so what.

And so what.

Impact does this latest incident have on NASA and Boeing and the safety of international space travel?

Impact does this latest incident have on NASA and Boeing and the safety of international space travel?

Well, I mean, to me.

Well, I mean, to me.

I think one of the biggest impacts is space programs are are often sort of a proxy for the story of society's technological capability. And I say this because obviously, when you look back in the Cold War example, that was very much the story. But as Boeing has this stumble and it has this cascading effect onto NASA and NASA's program and the International Space Station, as that's happening, we're looking across the globe and we're seeing that China has a pretty impressive space program to date. And so just recently, they had this program where they sent one of their lunar mission probes to the moon, and it returned to Earth with rare moon rocks from a part of the moon that they that these hadn't been retrieved from before. So this is a definite win for China. And this is something that the global public is aware of because nations will use the space program to to sort of show their flex of like what they can do. And increasingly, NASA is no longer just this incumbent power that is the one dominant power in space. And so I think when this sort of stuff happens, this sort of this stumble, let's call it, I think there is a moment where the world stops and looks and they say, well, which system? Who is getting more sort of points in the on the board and who is showing that sort of resolve and that attention to detail and, and the funding and the sort of the national will to get these sorts of things done. And I think one of the issues with the privatization of space is that the supply chain becomes a bit more convoluted. So you're dealing with layers of authority. So it's the NASA is the one layer of authority, but then below them are their suppliers. Right. So they're contractors. So your your space or in this case Boeing. So it's just as this level of I don't want to call it bureaucracy, but there's just a level of complexity. The good thing is, you know, once they work these kinks out, once there are two private sector players that are getting astronauts to and from space, you're going to see this sort of increase in capacity. And this is something that could be a definite win for NASA. I mean, this could be something where you start to see the kind of space travel that I think has been, you know, has been imagined for decades. I mean, the sort of stuff that you would see in kids books about space going back decades, about how, you know, people flying around a new sort of technological possibilities out there. And that will become more possible as the sort of economic incentive starts to align with the technological incentive, which is very different from the from the old style space programs that we'd seen, say, during the Cold War.

I think one of the biggest impacts is space programs are are often sort of a proxy for the story of society's technological capability. And I say this because obviously, when you look back in the Cold War example, that was very much the story. But as Boeing has this stumble and it has this cascading effect onto NASA and NASA's program and the International Space Station, as that's happening, we're looking across the globe and we're seeing that China has a pretty impressive space program to date. And so just recently, they had this program where they sent one of their lunar mission probes to the moon, and it returned to Earth with rare moon rocks from a part of the moon that they that these hadn't been retrieved from before. So this is a definite win for China. And this is something that the global public is aware of because nations will use the space program to to sort of show their flex of like what they can do. And increasingly, NASA is no longer just this incumbent power that is the one dominant power in space. And so I think when this sort of stuff happens, this sort of this stumble, let's call it, I think there is a moment where the world stops and looks and they say, well, which system? Who is getting more sort of points in the on the board and who is showing that sort of resolve and that attention to detail and, and the funding and the sort of the national will to get these sorts of things done. And I think one of the issues with the privatization of space is that the supply chain becomes a bit more convoluted. So you're dealing with layers of authority. So it's the NASA is the one layer of authority, but then below them are their suppliers. Right. So they're contractors. So your your space or in this case Boeing. So it's just as this level of I don't want to call it bureaucracy, but there's just a level of complexity. The good thing is, you know, once they work these kinks out, once there are two private sector players that are getting astronauts to and from space, you're going to see this sort of increase in capacity. And this is something that could be a definite win for NASA. I mean, this could be something where you start to see the kind of space travel that I think has been, you know, has been imagined for decades. I mean, the sort of stuff that you would see in kids books about space going back decades, about how, you know, people flying around a new sort of technological possibilities out there. And that will become more possible as the sort of economic incentive starts to align with the technological incentive, which is very different from the from the old style space programs that we'd seen, say, during the Cold War.

And so, you know, like you say, historically, there's been this space race between countries, but now it's really between companies. You've got Boeing, which was awarded the largest contract, I understand, for the commercialization of these, these shuttles back when this sort of started a decade ago. And of course then we've got space X, which is Elon Musk's company. And Musk's company has actually fared better than Boeing in this task. Is that right?

And so, you know, like you say, historically, there's been this space race between countries, but now it's really between companies. You've got Boeing, which was awarded the largest contract, I understand, for the commercialization of these, these shuttles back when this sort of started a decade ago. And of course then we've got space X, which is Elon Musk's company. And Musk's company has actually fared better than Boeing in this task. Is that right?

That's right. I mean, they they are definitely charging ahead and and I'm sure I mean, I'm not the person to do this, but I'm sure there were some people that would look at the, the ethos of, of SpaceX and how they're very driven. They're very, you know, focused on getting these certain engineering outcomes by certain times that has benefited them. And also the fact that maybe as a newer company, they don't have as much bureaucratic weight that Boeing would have, or maybe competing interests. As you know, this happens in corporations where you have these big incumbent corporations and sometimes they they can't move as quickly as newer sort of upstarts. And in this case, SpaceX would definitely be the upstart. This was sort of the vision of SpaceX all along to to make space travel much more achievable.

That's right. I mean, they they are definitely charging ahead and and I'm sure I mean, I'm not the person to do this, but I'm sure there were some people that would look at the, the ethos of, of SpaceX and how they're very driven. They're very, you know, focused on getting these certain engineering outcomes by certain times that has benefited them. And also the fact that maybe as a newer company, they don't have as much bureaucratic weight that Boeing would have, or maybe competing interests. As you know, this happens in corporations where you have these big incumbent corporations and sometimes they they can't move as quickly as newer sort of upstarts. And in this case, SpaceX would definitely be the upstart. This was sort of the vision of SpaceX all along to to make space travel much more achievable.

Well, it's absolutely a fascinating story. So thank you so much, Chris, for your time.

Well, it's absolutely a fascinating story. So thank you so much, Chris, for your time.

Sam. Thank you.

Sam. Thank you.

For watching. Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Tammy Mills with technical assistance by Kai Wong. Our head of audio is Tom McKendrick. The Morning Edition is a production of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoy the show and want more of our journalism, subscribe to our newspapers today. It's the best way to support what we do. Search The age or Smh.com.au forward slash. Subscribe and sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a comprehensive summary of the day's most important news, analysis and insights in your inbox every day. Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris. This is the morning edition. Thanks for listening.

For watching. Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Tammy Mills with technical assistance by Kai Wong. Our head of audio is Tom McKendrick. The Morning Edition is a production of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoy the show and want more of our journalism, subscribe to our newspapers today. It's the best way to support what we do. Search The age or Smh.com.au forward slash. Subscribe and sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a comprehensive summary of the day's most important news, analysis and insights in your inbox every day. Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris. This is the morning edition. Thanks for listening.