Latest news with #BoeingCrewTestFlight
Iraqi News
05-04-2025
- Science
- Iraqi News
Astronauts lost control of a Boeing starliner while docking with the ISS
INA - SOURCES While NASA attempted to downplay Starliner's known issues during the early days of the problem-plagued Boeing Crew Test Flight last June, the situation was far more precarious for the astronauts at the controls and the people sitting in mission control. Astronaut Butch Wilmore said that the Boeing Starliner suffered enough thruster failures to lose full control during its launch rendezvous with the International Space Station. The situation should have forced the spacecraft to abort its docking attempt, but NASA waived established flight rules. The mission's astronauts had an uneasy feeling that something could go wrong after witnessing thruster failures during the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test missions. However, the initial launch went off without a hitch. The ULA Atlas V rocket maintained its trajectory perfectly and Starliner excelled in its post-separation maneuvering tests. Things changed when Starliner approached the station, however, experiencing thruster failures, and Wilmore took manual control of the spacecraft.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronauts Lost Control Of Boeing Starliner While Docking With International Space Station
While NASA attempted to publicly downplay Starliner's known issues during the early days of the problem-plagued Boeing Crew Test Flight last June, the situation was far more precarious for the astronauts at the controls and the people sitting in mission control. Astronaut Butch Wilmore said that the Boeing Starliner suffered enough thruster failures to lose full control during its launch rendezvous with the International Space Station. The situation should have forced the spacecraft to abort its docking attempt, but NASA apparently waived established flight rules. The mission's astronauts had an uneasy feeling that something could go wrong after witnessing thruster failures during the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test missions. However, the initial launch went off without a hitch. The ULA Atlas V rocket maintained its trajectory perfectly and Starliner excelled in its post-separation maneuvering tests. Things changed when Starliner approached the station, however, experiencing thruster failures, and Wilmore took manual control of the spacecraft. Read more: John Oliver Explains How All Of Boeing's Problems Can Be Traced Back To Stock Buybacks And Incompetent Leadership Wilmore noted that Starliner had two thrusters fail. If it lost another thruster, the spacecraft would lose control over its six possible movements in a 3D space. Typically, just being on the verge of this loss of control would mandate the crew abort the docking attempt; however, NASA waived its flight rules, and then two more thrusters failed. In an interview with Ars Technica, Wilmore said: "And this is the part I'm sure you haven't heard. We lost the fourth thruster. Now we've lost 6DOF control. We can't maneuver forward. I still have control, supposedly, on all the other axes." Wilmore didn't hesitate to call NASA's Mission Control in Houston heroes for how they managed the crisis. Without forward control, Starliner was in a predicament where it couldn't dock, but it also couldn't position itself to reenter the Earth's atmosphere. Yes, the situation was as dire as it sounds. Mission control instructed Wilmore to let go of the controls so flight controllers could reset the thrusters. The remote override of Starliner's computer brought back two of the failed thrusters, enough to regain control. Starliner docked with the ISS, but we know it wasn't the end. While they were safe onboard the station, they couldn't pilot the spacecraft home. They could have hitched a ride on one of the other docked vehicles in an emergency, but they were effectively stranded until they could be brought home with one of the ISS's crew rotation missions. The Starliner would return empty last September, and the crew would return in March -- after a nine month stay -- with NASA's SpaceX Crew 9 mission. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Boeing Starliner Could Go To Space Again Before The End Of 2025
Despite the issues that left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, NASA isn't giving up on the Boeing Starliner quite yet. The space agency announced on Thursday its plans to certify the problem-plagued spacecraft this year and potentially send the capsule back to orbit before 2026. It might seem desperate, but maybe NASA doesn't want its transportation to the ISS reliant on someone who threatened to destroy the station because an astronaut hurt his feelings. NASA has been relatively transparent with the Starliner's woes. However, I'm still waiting for my accidental invitation to the engineers' group chat. The space agency stated that over 70 percent of flight observations and in-flight anomalies have been closed. It's an impressive amount of developmental progress, but NASA and Boeing still haven't fixed the thruster issues that forced the Starliner to return to Earth empty. Engineers realized during the Boeing Crew Test Flight that a Teflon coating was melting and blocking propellant flow through the thruster, which could cause a complete loss of control. However, there isn't another scheduled test flight for the spacecraft. Read more: There's A Relic Runway From America's Failed Supersonic Future Hiding In The Everglades The Starliner's propulsion systems will undergo a rigorous testing campaign at the White Sands Test Facility over the spring and summer as engineers attempt to tackle helium leaks and overheating problems. Steve Stich, the Commerical Crew Program manager, said in a release: "Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight. We'll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year and then go figure out where Starliner fits best in the schedule for the International Space Station and its crew and cargo missions. It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight." The Starliner program seemed on the ropes over the past few months. Once the Starliner returned to the surface without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, reports emerged that Boeing was considering selling off its space division with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin floated at a potential buyer. The situation didn't seem any better after the Starliner's planned ISS missions this year were handed over to SpaceX, which is partially why the program isn't ending. Boeing wants to operate as many missions as possible to recoup some of the $2 billion lost on the overbudget Starliner. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dolphins Spectate NASA Stranded Astronaut Splashdown
After a nine-month ordeal, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth on Tuesday after the failed Boeing Crew Test Flight left them stranded on the International Space Station. The NASA SpaceX Crew-9 splashdown off Florida's Gulf Coast had a unique group of spectators: A pod of dolphins. Maybe our aquatic friends were trying to tell the astronauts they shouldn't have returned to Earth. As the charred Crew Dragon capsule bobbed around in the ocean, dolphins swam up to the spacecraft and the recovery team. NASA's Johnson Space Center shared footage of the maritime encounter on social media. Admittedly, the conditions on the ocean were picturesque, with a clear blue sky and calm waters. It was the perfect welcome for anyone who had been stuck in a set of small metal tubes floating in a black void. Astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov didn't have as long of a wait to see Earth again. The duo launched with the Crew-9 mission in late September last year. Two other astronauts were benched for the mission to leave a pair of seats empty to accommodate the return of Wilmore and Williams. Read more: Even SpaceX Would Apparently Rather Use A Ford F-150 Lightning Than Tesla Cybertruck If you're wondering if the Boeing Starliner rescue mission launched last year, how did Joe Biden abandon Wilmore and Williams, as Elon Musk and Donald Trump claim? The rocket-exploding White House squatter blustered his way through a Fox News interview, saying that he offered President Biden an emergency rescue mission and the offer was rejected for political reasons. The Starliner crew and NASA's then-administrator said they had never heard of said offer. The picturesque return isn't enough to distract from the future of the Boeing Starliner program. The troubled spacecraft still isn't certified to fly NASA missions to the ISS with its thruster issues. NASA is considering requiring a third uncrewed test flight for Starliner. It might not be worth it for Boeing to fly another test flight for certification, especially as the International Space Station, the Starliner's only possible destination, approaches the end of its service life. The aerospace giant is preparing for mass layoffs in its Artemis rocket program and openly considered selling the entire space division late last year. The aerospace giant is preparing for mass layoffs in its Artemis rocket program and openly considered selling the entire space division late last year. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
