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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are in a precarious situation aboard the International Space Station waiting for a safe return to Earth their scheduled return in June was delayed due to repeated technical failures in Boeing Starliner spacecraft now their mission has been extended by months and the risks are mounting space industry expert Rudy ruli outlines three dire scenarios if they attempt to return using Starliner first a malfunction in the thrusters could leave them stranded in orbit with just 96 hours of oxygen second a faulty alignment could mean they never re-enter Earth's atmosphere leaving them trapped in space indefinitely and third a steep re-entry angle could cause the heat shield to fail leading to the spacecraft burning up on re-entry NASA is considering using spacex's crew Dragon for their return but challenges remain like the incompatibility of their space suits with crew Dragon while NASA explores options Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut face an uncertain future