Keeping the vehicle in orbit is essential to studying the issues, which occurred on the Starliner spacecraft’s service module — a cylindrical attachment that sits at the bottom of the spacecraft. The service module will be jettisoned and discarded as the capsule returns home from space.
Because the service module won’t be returning with the mission, engineers will not have an opportunity to gather more data about the technical problems after the astronauts land
So not an issue that would affect a return, they just want more time to look at the thing that had problems before they have to throw it away.
Ah yes, the helium leak again. The thing that wasn’t an issue in the first place. So not an issue that it was fine to launch. So not an issue that there were thruster problems (which use pressurized helium) that could have prevented them from docking with the ISS at all. Totally not an issue with undocking and maneuvering away from the ISS safely and transferring to a reentry orbit.
Yup not that helium leak was not an issue at all.
Hey, hey- what are you, some kinda . . . whistleblower?
gun cocks
The real delay here is that Starliner’s RCS system is in the disposable service module, so engineers won’t be able to do a post-flight analysis of it. Dragon’s RCS is in the reusable crew module; the only subsystems they don’t bring back are solar cells and radiators mounted on the trunk.
Did the door fall off?
Not yet.
Curiously, the door is unhinged. They remove it and tie it inside the ISS.
So… astronauts… I’m sure you really want to get down to Earth, but I would definitely wait for the next bus if I were you.
Boeing having a normal one.