It was supposed to be an eight-day cruise for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station and back. A shot in the dark.But now a pair of NASA astronauts are literally, lost in space — or stuck — after mechanical problems with the docked capsule.After blasting off on June 5, Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have now spent the better part of a month living aboard the ship while they try to figure out what’s wrong with it.In media statements, Boeing says it doesn’t have a date for their return but is planning a spacewalk on July 2 to try to ascertain the trouble. Apparently Starliner suffered mishaps with leaking helium thrusters during its voyage to the ISS..Four of the five problem thrusters — out of 27 — have been repaired and are functioning normally. When its safely docked, the leaks are sealed.Both NASA and Boeing insist the pair aren’t stranded and that the ship has enough helium in its tanks to safely return home. The only question is when.It was NASA’s maiden flight of the Starliner to determine the commercial viability of contracting it for future missions. The irony is that Williams’s and Wilmore may be forced to hitch a ride on SpaceX’s Dragon shuttle which is also presently attached to the ISS docking bay. Elon Musk’s space-vehicle concept made the journey without a hitch.“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned.”.It’s just the latest debacle for Boeing after a litany of glitches on its terrestrial aircraft, whose public relations problems are literally out of this world. Although the company insists the space division is a separate entity from its commercial aviation business, its Earthbound executives are facing possible criminal charges and fines for manufacturing deficiencies on its 737 series’s that have killed more than 350 people in two separate crashes.Meanwhile, Starliner is USD$1.5 billion over budget and a year behind schedule after scrubbed launches in May and on June 1.
It was supposed to be an eight-day cruise for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station and back. A shot in the dark.But now a pair of NASA astronauts are literally, lost in space — or stuck — after mechanical problems with the docked capsule.After blasting off on June 5, Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have now spent the better part of a month living aboard the ship while they try to figure out what’s wrong with it.In media statements, Boeing says it doesn’t have a date for their return but is planning a spacewalk on July 2 to try to ascertain the trouble. Apparently Starliner suffered mishaps with leaking helium thrusters during its voyage to the ISS..Four of the five problem thrusters — out of 27 — have been repaired and are functioning normally. When its safely docked, the leaks are sealed.Both NASA and Boeing insist the pair aren’t stranded and that the ship has enough helium in its tanks to safely return home. The only question is when.It was NASA’s maiden flight of the Starliner to determine the commercial viability of contracting it for future missions. The irony is that Williams’s and Wilmore may be forced to hitch a ride on SpaceX’s Dragon shuttle which is also presently attached to the ISS docking bay. Elon Musk’s space-vehicle concept made the journey without a hitch.“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned.”.It’s just the latest debacle for Boeing after a litany of glitches on its terrestrial aircraft, whose public relations problems are literally out of this world. Although the company insists the space division is a separate entity from its commercial aviation business, its Earthbound executives are facing possible criminal charges and fines for manufacturing deficiencies on its 737 series’s that have killed more than 350 people in two separate crashes.Meanwhile, Starliner is USD$1.5 billion over budget and a year behind schedule after scrubbed launches in May and on June 1.
