Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon Suits Incompatibility
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with Boeing's Starliner, which was supposed to return them. If they need to return via SpaceX's Crew Dragon, they face a significant problem: the space suits from Boeing are not compatible with SpaceX's spacecraft, and vice versa.
The ISS has two docking ports, one occupied by Starliner and the other by Crew Dragon. If a return via Crew Dragon is necessary, Starliner would need to undock, leaving Williams and Wilmore without suitable space suits. While space suits are not essential for re-entry, they provide crucial safety in case of emergencies.
The incompatibility arises from each manufacturer choosing different designs, as NASA did not mandate a standard for commercial crew programs. This decision reflects NASA's strategy of having diverse transport systems to ensure redundancy and safety in space missions.