Boeing Starliner Stranded
08-06-2024 | 10:48 AM
#1
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
Boeing Starliner Stranded
Interesting rumors...
It sounds as though NASA is not comfortable returning Butch and Suni on the boeing capsule. Arrangements are in progress to use a SpaceX ship, and apparently proper-fit spacesuits have been identified (the two types of crew capsule use different, proprietary suits).
But there's a hangup... while starliner flew autonomously to and from the ISS during a test flight it turns out that boeing did not install the autonomous return software onto the manned ship
So as it stands, the starliner is well and truly stuck, and occupying one of the docking ports on the station, which prevents future crew rotations from occurring as scheduled. The Russians have more ports on their side, but buying Soyuz rides is a bit of a pain point at the moment.
It sounds as though NASA is not comfortable returning Butch and Suni on the boeing capsule. Arrangements are in progress to use a SpaceX ship, and apparently proper-fit spacesuits have been identified (the two types of crew capsule use different, proprietary suits).
But there's a hangup... while starliner flew autonomously to and from the ISS during a test flight it turns out that boeing did not install the autonomous return software onto the manned ship
So as it stands, the starliner is well and truly stuck, and occupying one of the docking ports on the station, which prevents future crew rotations from occurring as scheduled. The Russians have more ports on their side, but buying Soyuz rides is a bit of a pain point at the moment.
08-06-2024 | 10:57 AM
#2
SrFOorJrCAisthe?
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Interesting rumors...
It sounds as though NASA is not comfortable returning Butch and Suni on the boeing capsule. Arrangements are in progress to use a SpaceX ship, and apparently proper-fit spacesuits have been identified (the two types of crew capsule use different, proprietary suits).
But there's a hangup... while starliner flew autonomously to and from the ISS during a test flight it turns out that boeing did not install the autonomous return software onto the manned ship
So as it stands, the starliner is well and truly stuck, and occupying one of the docking ports on the station, which prevents future crew rotations from occurring as scheduled. The Russians have more ports on their side, but buying Soyuz rides is a bit of a pain point at the moment.
It sounds as though NASA is not comfortable returning Butch and Suni on the boeing capsule. Arrangements are in progress to use a SpaceX ship, and apparently proper-fit spacesuits have been identified (the two types of crew capsule use different, proprietary suits).
But there's a hangup... while starliner flew autonomously to and from the ISS during a test flight it turns out that boeing did not install the autonomous return software onto the manned ship
So as it stands, the starliner is well and truly stuck, and occupying one of the docking ports on the station, which prevents future crew rotations from occurring as scheduled. The Russians have more ports on their side, but buying Soyuz rides is a bit of a pain point at the moment.
08-06-2024 | 01:51 PM
#3
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I love it lol..... Elon Musk will be saving Boeing's ass on this.... maybe he will start building airplanes too? :-D
Anyway, in all seriousness, why can't they fly a Crew Dragon up with parts and software, xfer it over to Starliner, and let it come down on its own while the astronauts take Crew Dragon back home?
Anyway, in all seriousness, why can't they fly a Crew Dragon up with parts and software, xfer it over to Starliner, and let it come down on its own while the astronauts take Crew Dragon back home?
08-06-2024 | 05:14 PM
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From: F-16
I love it lol..... Elon Musk will be saving Boeing's ass on this.... maybe he will start building airplanes too? :-D
Anyway, in all seriousness, why can't they fly a Crew Dragon up with parts and software, xfer it over to Starliner, and let it come down on its own while the astronauts take Crew Dragon back home?
Anyway, in all seriousness, why can't they fly a Crew Dragon up with parts and software, xfer it over to Starliner, and let it come down on its own while the astronauts take Crew Dragon back home?
You could potentially have Crew 8 depart before Crew 9 arrives, but I suspect that would have profound ramifications on the various station maintenance schedules and ongoing science as you wouldn't have enough people onboard to do everything required...
08-06-2024 | 05:25 PM
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The short answer is there are only two docking ports on the ISS compatible with Crew Dragon/Starliner. The Crew 8 Crew Dragon spacecraft is currently on the other port. It's the emergency "liferaft" for the current Crew 8 astronauts onboard. For safety reasons, you can't undock it without them going with it. Since the reprogramming isn't a quick process (I heard in the neighborhood of 4 weeks), you can't play chess and undock Crew 8 with them onboard, dock Crew 9, quickly reprogram and undock Starliner, then redock Crew 8 where Starliner was.
You could potentially have Crew 8 depart before Crew 9 arrives, but I suspect that would have profound ramifications on the various station maintenance schedules and ongoing science as you wouldn't have enough people onboard to do everything required...
You could potentially have Crew 8 depart before Crew 9 arrives, but I suspect that would have profound ramifications on the various station maintenance schedules and ongoing science as you wouldn't have enough people onboard to do everything required...
08-06-2024 | 06:30 PM
#6
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From: Enoch Powell Enthusiast
Elon Musk. - Walter Isaacson
I love this guy. (Elon)
Would not want to work for him in a million years, based on this book alone.
But if you wonder why Boeing sucks and SpaceX is amazing, you might want to give this a read/listen. (free on Audible with an Amazon membership)
True genius is incredibly rare. And not without criticism.
I love this guy. (Elon)
Would not want to work for him in a million years, based on this book alone.
But if you wonder why Boeing sucks and SpaceX is amazing, you might want to give this a read/listen. (free on Audible with an Amazon membership)
True genius is incredibly rare. And not without criticism.
08-07-2024 | 06:47 AM
#7
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
Yes it's hypothetically possible to update the software on orbit, and anything they need to do that could presumably be brought up on a Soyuz (I know there's one next week, but it's probably too late to get it on unless they've been secretly and frantically working on that for the last month).
But it's a lengthy process, not sure why (weeks) and the software used previously is not necessarily compatible with latest software currently on the ship for the manned flight. Maybe they need to time to update it for compatibility. Fluster Cluck.
But it's a lengthy process, not sure why (weeks) and the software used previously is not necessarily compatible with latest software currently on the ship for the manned flight. Maybe they need to time to update it for compatibility. Fluster Cluck.
08-07-2024 | 11:42 AM
#9
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Aristotle obsereved that "there is no great genius without a touch of madness."
I wouldn't go so far as to call Musk great, or a genius, but certainly he got a double touch of the madness.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl...s-and-insanity
I wouldn't go so far as to call Musk great, or a genius, but certainly he got a double touch of the madness.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl...s-and-insanity
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