Two NASA astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station ( ISS ) have described the import they agnise that the spaceship that brought them there was wrong . The astronauts – Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore – departed for the ISS onJune 5 , the third and final trial of Boeing ’s new Starliner capsule , and its first launch with a crew .

“ Launch was spectacular,“Wilmore saidon Wednesday , speaking live from the ISS . " I mean , unfeignedly awe-inspiring . "

While in blank space , but not yet docked with the ISS , the astronauts assume over manual control for over an minute of flight demonstrations . Of these initial tests , Wilmore explained that the spaceship held " genuinely amazing " precision , adding that the starship " performed unbelievably well " , at least at first . The problems began the following day , as the spacecraft was in its usualautonomous style .

" And then we pose into day 2 . The start of day 2 was the same starting off , and then we did have some failures as we are all cognizant . We lost an RCS green , then we lose another one . And then you could tell the poke , the control , the capableness was cheapen . The manipulation quality were not the same . "

The crew resumed manual controller of the spacecraft for about an minute , having been allow license by NASA , trouble-shoot the problems from the ground .

" From that point on you could tell that the thrust was degraded , " Wilmore added . " At the time we did n’t know why . "

The Starliner performed well during accurate docking with the ISS , a task which leaves very piddling elbow room for misplay , and the astronauts get into their new aliveness quarters . Though their mission was only meant to last a week , they have been strand on instrument panel the space station while NASA attempts to restore the problems – including ahelium leak – which prevented them from returning on board Starliner in June .

as luck would have it , the astronauts do not appear to specially heed their exsert trip . This is perhaps unsurprising , given that they are soar up above the world on a space station .

" We are having a great time here on ISS,“Williams said . " Butch and I have been up here before and it feel like coming back home . It feels just to be adrift around , it feels good to be in space and work up here with the International Space Station squad . So I ’m not complaining , Butch is not quetch that we ’re here for a couple of special week . "

NASA is hoping to get the gang home shortly using the Starliner , but the next comer of ISS crew in August is the hard deadline to forfend overcrowding .

“ Some of the data suggest optimistically , mayhap it ’s by the remainder of July , but we ’ll just watch the data point each step at a metre , ” Steve Stich , NASA ’s commercial work party program manager , addedduring a imperativeness conference .

For now , they remain stranded in quad , and continue to evaluate their ride menage .