THEY’RE STILL UP THERE?!
Holy shit, so much has happened in this country and the world at large, I completely forgot this entire story was happening jesus christ almighty
To be fair, they know the state of the world; I’d probably choose to stay in space.
I thought they had already come down…
The glory of privatization on full display.
Some reporters began calling the astronauts “stranded” or “stuck” on the ISS. NASA and Boeing stress, however, that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-not-stranded-space
Its all about phrasing. They are just having an extended layover because their flight is delayed. Boeing also provides courtesy, in-flight door removal.
They’re pining for the fjords.
60 years of spaceflight and we can still barely get to orbit.
God we’re shit at this, aren’t we?
To be fair, it’s incredibly hard to get into orbit, and it’s relatively easy to get anywhere from there. The fact we can get into orbit pretty safely, reliably, and consistently while struggling to do stuff that’s so much easier well is impressive.
I mean, Boeing barely does, we have also shot countless things everywhere in the solar system… Heck, even Starship reached a stable orbit in like the 3rd test flight or so (practically, and throttled shortly before, so the thing returns). It’s hard, but far from impossible with a competent team and strict management
Okay but tbf starship didnt have a payload, unless you count the banana.
I’m sure they’re just thrilled. We’re probably going to learn all kinds of things about what happens to a human during an extended spaceflight from their ruined bodies.
The radiation exposure in space is insane. Their health did certainly going to be noticeable.
a three hour tour. a three hour tour.
I hope they’re calling each other Gilligan and Skipper.
Christ. You think president Musk will send a SpaceX solution up there or count his billions?
Probably both.
Why didn’t Boeing have a contingency plan for this? Not a lot of forward thinking going on there.
it’s not like the astronauts are in any danger
Just delayed by 1 year. Also, living in space does take a toll on your body.
And there’s the psychological toll as well.
This has to be a joke
Their DNA? To shreds, you say.
So, real nuts and bolts question here. How does this affect their pay? Are they being paid extra to be up there so long? I would want overtime.
I don’t think they do.
Astronauts do not get overtime or holiday/weekend pay. They get paid for a 40-hour work week, i.e. their regular salaries. - NASA spokesperson
Seems like that could breed resentment in the minds of astronauts who get stuck, like Butch and Suni. As cool as working in space would be, it’s still work. Combined with the toll that microgravity takes on the body, and missing my loved ones, I’d be wanting some “extra” compensation for my time and health.
What’s worse? You can’t quit.
Imagine them getting radicalized by the Russians and deciding to Unionize while on the ISS.
Might backfire if your life support teams down in Houston go on strike.
No TDY? No “space time” pay?
Huh. Kinda surprising.
Fun fact, they don’t get paid during a government shutdown.
I have to think that if there are bonuses (probably not in a government org), they’d take that into account. Otherwise, probably not.
Can they sue Boeing? I’d sue the fuck out of Boeing.
My brain refuses to accept that this image is not upside down, even if I flip it, it’s upside down.
“I know what it feels like to be upside down from here.” -Atom and His Package
Everything is always upside-down and always right side up in space. Simultaneously!
The enemy’s gate is down.
What is it’s a prank and all they have to do is get caught screwing to be allowed to come home?
I have to think they’re probably getting pretty mad by now.
In the US? Not a reasonable assumption
What? I’m talking about the astronauts who can’t go home.
Sorry, I read that as they’re getting mad pay by now
