When Are the Astronauts ‘Stuck’ in Space Coming Home? It May Not Be Until 2025

TIME

NASA is exploring a contingency plan to bring home the two astronauts who have been at the International Space Station (ISS) for two months with no clear end in sight.

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00:00We don't have a major announcement today relative to a return date.

00:05We're making great progress, but we're just not quite ready to do that.

00:08The team is doing great. The joint Boeing and NASA team is doing well.

00:11They're working side-by-side with each other every day.

00:14We're methodically working through the data, and we'll come home when we're ready.

00:19This is a very complicated subject.

00:22The helium leaks, combined with the thrusters,

00:26combined with how the GNC flight control system will work during the deorbit burn.

00:30Getting everybody educated and understanding that

00:33ahead of the flight readiness review is the next step that we have on our side.

00:38Our mission was to get the crew to ISS. That's been completed.

00:41Our mission was to learn from a flight test.

00:44A lot of the learning that we've achieved so far, really,

00:48in my opinion, could only be achieved through the flight test.

00:51And now it's time to get on with returning the crew safely.

00:54And there's that step left to go.

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