Astronauts Downplay Worry as Mission Woes Extend Space Trip

  • Williams and Wilmore say they’re certain of a safe return
  • Boeing’s Starliner craft has suffered leaks, other issues
Astronauts Are Confident in Starliner to Return to Earth

NASA astronauts pressed into a longer-than-planned stay in space said they’re certain their Boeing Co. craft will return them safely to Earth despite a series of technical issues that have plagued the mission.

“I feel confident that if we had to — if there was a problem with the International Space Station — we’d get in our spacecraft and we can undock, talk to our team and figure out the best way to come home,” Sunita “Suni” Williams, a NASA astronaut and pilot of the mission, told reporters Wednesday during a live webcast from space.