Shipwrecked in Space 

Two astronauts stranded on the I.S.S. until 2025 

By: Dean Riaz

Imagine being stuck in space for over half a year, isolated from the world, awaiting rescue, with limited communication. For two NASA astronauts, they don’t have to imagine this; they are living in that reality as we speak. Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams—both veteran astronauts—have been marooned on the International Space Station (I.S.S.) since June 6th, after their Boeing-made spacecraft had mechanical malfunctions. The mission, originally planned to just be eight days, has now been extended to February 2025 when NASA plans to rescue the astronauts. This event only highlights the inefficiencies that have arisen in NASA, and the prospects that the private sector could play in the future of space.

NASA has historically been the only American player in the space industry. As a government agency, they ran all of America’s space missions, rocket launches, and spacecraft maintenance. Although space shuttles, other aircrafts, and various components were built by aerospace contractors such as Boeing, NASA assumed total control of the process. However, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now changing the precedent of government domination in space. Over the past two decades, SpaceX has been playing the role of NASA in the private sector. Musk’s company has built its own brand of reusable rockets, executed hundreds of missions, and pioneered Starlink, a satellite technology. 

https://nationalpost.com/news/space/nasa-astronauts-boeing-starliner The stranded astronauts: Sunita Williams and Barry Gilmore.

 On September 28th, SpaceX launched a mission to add an additional crew on the ISS to provide support to the stranded astronauts. This only humiliated Boeing, responsible for the poorly constructed rocket that caused this whole dilemma, and demonstrated how NASA can be reformed. NASA’s slow disaster response time is only harming their reputation, and the welfare of the stranded astronauts. Elon Musk’s innovative startup has done more than a trusted government agency. This event arose from the same conditions in NASA that caused the Challenger incident, and the stranded astronauts can be likened to the Challenger of this generation. Both events occurred from mechanical malfunctions and exposed problems in NASA’s operations. SpaceX has flaws of its own too, such as the unrealistic plans for a base on Mars and being home to an abusive work environment. NASA should learn to find unconventional solutions to solve problems better. When kids were stuck in a Thai cave in 2018, SpaceX tried making a small submarine to aid the children. Even if those efforts failed, SpaceX has attempted to find solutions to disasters, while NASA has not. 

Ultimately, NASA’s reputation has deteriorated due to this event, leading to an innovative private sector that can fill the space left behind by NASA in the last frontier of space. The two stranded astronauts are the embodiment of the future and past of cosmic exploration. The past is that of NASA, where protocols, rules, and order dictate what happens. The future belongs to SpaceX, where technocrats innovate the next generation of space travel. However, NASA and SpaceX can learn from each other. If these two opposing forces cooperated using their respective strengths, then being stranded in space could become a one-time event. 

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