Why NASA Left Them in Space for Months Instead of a Week

NASA sent two astronauts up in June 2024 expecting they'd be back in just over a week. But the Starliner spacecraft they used had some unexpected issues—think leaky systems and moody thrusters—so it couldn’t safely bring them home. Instead of taking chances, NASA decided to leave the ship up there and bring it back empty. So the astronauts had to hang out on the ISS way longer than planned—like, months longer. They finally hitched a ride back with SpaceX in March 2025. Not the plan, but hey, they made history and got a whole lot of space miles! 🚀 Credit: Comment by Denis Ghilca on [BrightSide-Why NASA left two astronauts in space and can't bring them back] Animation production How NASA Will Protect Astronauts: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/GSFC_... Expedition 69 Soyuz MS-23: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20... Space to Ground: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jcs20... Space to Ground: Spacewalk 273: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jcs20... Exploration EMU (xEMU): By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20... Boeing OFT Mission Highlights: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20... Johnson Space Center (JSC): By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20... Frank Rubio Tour of the International Space Station: By NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc20... Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightside   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices