I'm wondering whether the astronauts in this situation are excited about getting an extended stay in space without the usual competition for launch opportunities, or are unhappy about it (due to the long separation from family, health effects, the lack of comfort that comes with living on the frontier of what humanity can currently reach, etc.).<p>This quote:<p>> “They understand the importance now of moving on and... getting the vehicle back safely.”<p>makes me think they aren't too happy about this outcome.
Landing video live stream: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ0T-cZWh78" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ0T-cZWh78</a>
I'd love to see the full calculus of risk and reward. Space travel is inherently dangerous, so NASA has to be really concerned.<p>Equally, until Dragon arrives, they have to means of escape, if there's either issues with the station or with their health.<p>NASA mist have concluded that the latter is a smaller risk than the Starliner, which I guess says something about how high they though the danger is.
To add some context: the astronauts are not "stranded" in space. They are in the international space station. They were supposed to get back on this capsule after a few days stay, but they are now expected to stay in the ISS and get back only in February on SpaceX capsule/vehicle.