(NewsNation) — Former astronaut José Hernández believes NASA has made the correct decision to leave his successors, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams at the International Space Station as the Boeing Starliner readies to undock next month.
Wilmore and Williams have been at the ISS since the onset of June and aren’t slated to return to Earth until February 2025 in a SpaceX capsule.
While many have grown concerned at the plight of Williams and Wilmore, Hernández believes it was too great a risk to bring them home imminently.
“That’s just a risk NASA did not want to take I don’t think the aerospace community was at all surprised that this decision was made, with the exception of possibly Boeing, but I think it’s the right decision,” he told “Weekend Morning in America”.
Instead, the Boeing Starliner will return uncrewed. Precaution is the primary reason the pair won’t return in the vessel which took them into space.
“A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. The decision “is a result of a commitment to safety.”
Instead of a seven-person crew at the ISS, the total has now reached nine given the presence of Wilmore and Williams.
“There’s plenty of science to conduct,” Hernández said. “There’s a lot more work than the original six international space station astronauts are there to do. So, they’re going to be a welcome site. They’re going to be very busy, and so that’s not an issue either.
“Now, the psychological effect, well, you know, these guys are strong. I mean, NASA selects folks that are mentally strong, and they’re professional, so they’ll come out of it with flying colors.
“But, you also got to recognize that, yes, there is some level of disappointment, because I’m sure both Suni and Bush had plans for the next month or the rest of the summer, or for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
“So, there is some level of disappointment. But, these guys are trained professionals and they’ll come through it quite fine, and we’ll see them home on February.”