The US Human presence in space is supposed to be flying back and forth form the ISS on a combo of SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules. Unfortunately, was undermined by it’s own failures to deliver on time and a myriad of valve issues.
Space is hard.
This means that NASA has blown through the provisioned flights it could take on it’s 2 crew dragons. The crew dragon currently attached to ISS is about done, and the last one to return to Earth has been retired. In December, NASA announced it would be spring at the earliest before a new Crew Dragon might be available and ready to fly NASA astronauts. I have so far been unable to learn if a new crew dragon capsule has been delivered to NASA. It might have happened – I just haven’t been able to find news that it has happened.
While everyone on the ISS waits for a new crew dragon to be ready to fly NASA’s next crew to the ISS, Star liner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore enter month 9 of their 8-day mission.
As previously reported, Suni has been assigned command of the ISS and she is putting her space-walking skills to work doing general repairs and maintenance. Her Jan 30 space walk in combination with prior time logged outside the ISS allowed Suni to surpass Peggy Whitsom’s prior record for most nonconsecutive hours spent on spacewalks by a woman.
With 62 hours and 6 minutes behind her, she needs a little over 20 hours to achieve the all time record of 82 hours 22 minutes held by Anatoly Solovyev. That could happen, but it’s more likely she’ll break the US record of 67 hours 40 minutes held by Michael Lopez-Alegria.
Here’s to hoping at least.