> I fail to understand how they can’t come down in a Dragon while Starliner returns unmanned. It's not like there are Dragon capsules just floating around up t

> I fail to understand how they can’t come down in a Dragon while Starliner returns unmanned. It's not like there are Dragon capsules just floating around up there. Right now, the one docked to the ISS is earmarked for the return of Crew 8. The next one up will bring Crew 9, and it needs to stay on-orbit for their return. The Dragon capsules hold 4 people, so if these Starliner astronauts need to come down on a Dragon then Crew 9 will have to drop by two in order to equalize the number of astronauts and seats.