>NASA is planning to significantly delay the launch of the Crew 9 mission to the International Space Station due to ongoing concerns about the Starliner spacecraft currently attached to the station.
>Nominally, this Crew Dragon mission will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, spacecraft commander; Nick Hague, pilot; and Stephanie Wilson, mission specialist; as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov for a six-month journey to the space station. However, NASA has been considering alternatives to the crew lineup—possibly launching with two astronauts instead of four—due to ongoing discussions about the viability of Starliner to safely return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth.
>As of late last week, [NASA still had not decided](https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/yes-nasa-really-could-bring-starliners-astronauts-back-on-crew-dragon/) whether the Starliner vehicle, which is built and operated by Boeing, should be used to fly its two crew members home. During its launch and ascent to the space station two months ago, five small thrusters on the Starliner spacecraft failed. After extensive ground testing of the thrusters, as well as some brief in-space firings, NASA had planned to make a decision last week on whether to return Starliner with crew. However, a Flight Readiness Review planned for last Thursday was delayed after internal disagreements at NASA about the safety of Starliner.
>At issue is the performance of the small reaction control system thrusters in proximity to the space station. If the right combination of them fail before Starliner has moved sufficiently far from the station, Starliner could become uncontrollable and collide with the space station. The thrusters are also needed later in the flight back to Earth, to set up the critical de-orbit burn and entry in Earth’s atmosphere.
“This deal keeps getting worse all the time”
morbob on
Here is the real problem— If Boeing and NASA decide to fly -2- astronauts home and it fails, all hell will break out. It’ll be the end of Boeing and NASA. They both know, it’s not worth the chance.
yuletidepancake on
So the crew members will stay on ISS longer. I remember reading somewhere how bone loss is an issue in space since the bones don’t have weight anymore, and the lack of the usual stresses on the bone causing thinning of bone tissue. Which sounds pretty scary, could someone tell me if this is an issue that the current crew will face or their stay isn’t long enough to cause health concerns?
SeaBass426 on
That’s not fair, SpaceX shouldn’t have to suffer inconveniences because another company is incompetent and cannot get their sh*t together. SpaceX should be allowed to launch Crew 9 and in process make Boeing look bad, by bringing back the stranded astronauts home.
CollegeStation17155 on
OK, ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! I was all for giving Boeing time to sort out their problems with starliner, but now this “non safety related” issue is impacting all the ISS science schedules by delaying crew rotations and likely messing up SpaceX’s timeline for their Polaris mission, the price of catering to Boeing is getting waaaaaay too high. If NASA can’t declare it safe to land after over 2 months of testing on the ground and in space, dump it empty and move on; don’t wreck our entire space program trying to put lipstick on the pig.
EDIT: OK, my bad, I didn’t read past the third set of ads… But it still sounds like we’re being gaslighted by Boeing; they have their prior software that (although it overheated the thrusters) DID work automously, but it’s going to take a month to reinvent the wheel to do it again?
TbonerT on
This whole debacle keeps getting worse and worse!
TheCLittle_ttv on
It’s been like this for the past month. You monkeys need to stop upvoting the same story anytime the date changes.
Delladv on
So NASA is really considering sending back starliner empty and for this required the software update? or is it just for the thruster testing?
..but the update needs up to 4 weeks!!
LeeOCD on
There’s nothing to see up here. All is good.
Oh, by the way, the ISS is temporarily closed and scheduled missions are suspended due to Starliner.
Decronym on
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|——-|———|—|
|CST|(Boeing) Crew Space Transportation capsules|
| |Central Standard Time (UTC-6)|
|[EVA](/r/Space/comments/1ekr1uy/stub/lgmute4 “Last usage”)|Extra-Vehicular Activity|
|[Roscosmos](/r/Space/comments/1ekr1uy/stub/lgmfxe6 “Last usage”)|[State Corporation for Space Activities, Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscosmos_State_Corporation)|
**NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.
>However, there is also another surprising reason for the delay—the need to update Starliner’s flight software. Three separate, well-placed sources have confirmed to Ars that the current flight software on board Starliner cannot perform an automated undocking from the space station and entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Ah-ha. Now this makes sense. It’s not just a matter of whether they *should* return without crew. It’s a matter of whether Boeing even can. And if they update the software to allow it, that’s a whole new set of a risks. I can totally buy the “we’re testing in space because we can’t on the ground” argument re: the thrusters. I can understand the challenge of helium leaks and the uncertainty of test missions. I can understand NASA and Boeing’s focus on being methodical and careful.
But if your bullshit spacecraft cannot leave the station without a crew, that I don’t understand, particularly when your spacecraft absolutely had that capability before. At this point, put the crew on a Dragon and end this disaster. Starliner is toast. No one will ever fly on this, particularly with the ISS deorbit. It’s over. Pack it in and bring them home on something we know works.
sdujour77 on
Starliner is like a clingy ex who just can’t manage to let go. Only in this case, literally.
Nice-Appearance-9720 on
They should’ve had Boeing’s CEO as the second astronaut, to see his opinion up there.
ergzay on
> However, there is also another surprising reason for the delay—the need to update Starliner’s flight software. Three separate, well-placed sources have confirmed to Ars that the current flight software on board Starliner cannot perform an automated undocking from the space station and entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
14 Comments
>NASA is planning to significantly delay the launch of the Crew 9 mission to the International Space Station due to ongoing concerns about the Starliner spacecraft currently attached to the station.
>While the space agency has not said anything publicly, sources say NASA should announce the decision this week. Officials are contemplating moving the Crew-9 mission from its [current date](https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2024/07/26/nasa-spacex-targeting-aug-18-for-crew-9-mission-to-space-station/) of August 18 to September 24, a significant slip.
>Nominally, this Crew Dragon mission will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, spacecraft commander; Nick Hague, pilot; and Stephanie Wilson, mission specialist; as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov for a six-month journey to the space station. However, NASA has been considering alternatives to the crew lineup—possibly launching with two astronauts instead of four—due to ongoing discussions about the viability of Starliner to safely return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth.
>As of late last week, [NASA still had not decided](https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/yes-nasa-really-could-bring-starliners-astronauts-back-on-crew-dragon/) whether the Starliner vehicle, which is built and operated by Boeing, should be used to fly its two crew members home. During its launch and ascent to the space station two months ago, five small thrusters on the Starliner spacecraft failed. After extensive ground testing of the thrusters, as well as some brief in-space firings, NASA had planned to make a decision last week on whether to return Starliner with crew. However, a Flight Readiness Review planned for last Thursday was delayed after internal disagreements at NASA about the safety of Starliner.
>At issue is the performance of the small reaction control system thrusters in proximity to the space station. If the right combination of them fail before Starliner has moved sufficiently far from the station, Starliner could become uncontrollable and collide with the space station. The thrusters are also needed later in the flight back to Earth, to set up the critical de-orbit burn and entry in Earth’s atmosphere.
“This deal keeps getting worse all the time”
Here is the real problem— If Boeing and NASA decide to fly -2- astronauts home and it fails, all hell will break out. It’ll be the end of Boeing and NASA. They both know, it’s not worth the chance.
So the crew members will stay on ISS longer. I remember reading somewhere how bone loss is an issue in space since the bones don’t have weight anymore, and the lack of the usual stresses on the bone causing thinning of bone tissue. Which sounds pretty scary, could someone tell me if this is an issue that the current crew will face or their stay isn’t long enough to cause health concerns?
That’s not fair, SpaceX shouldn’t have to suffer inconveniences because another company is incompetent and cannot get their sh*t together. SpaceX should be allowed to launch Crew 9 and in process make Boeing look bad, by bringing back the stranded astronauts home.
OK, ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! I was all for giving Boeing time to sort out their problems with starliner, but now this “non safety related” issue is impacting all the ISS science schedules by delaying crew rotations and likely messing up SpaceX’s timeline for their Polaris mission, the price of catering to Boeing is getting waaaaaay too high. If NASA can’t declare it safe to land after over 2 months of testing on the ground and in space, dump it empty and move on; don’t wreck our entire space program trying to put lipstick on the pig.
EDIT: OK, my bad, I didn’t read past the third set of ads… But it still sounds like we’re being gaslighted by Boeing; they have their prior software that (although it overheated the thrusters) DID work automously, but it’s going to take a month to reinvent the wheel to do it again?
This whole debacle keeps getting worse and worse!
It’s been like this for the past month. You monkeys need to stop upvoting the same story anytime the date changes.
So NASA is really considering sending back starliner empty and for this required the software update? or is it just for the thruster testing?
..but the update needs up to 4 weeks!!
There’s nothing to see up here. All is good.
Oh, by the way, the ISS is temporarily closed and scheduled missions are suspended due to Starliner.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|——-|———|—|
|CST|(Boeing) Crew Space Transportation capsules|
| |Central Standard Time (UTC-6)|
|[EVA](/r/Space/comments/1ekr1uy/stub/lgmute4 “Last usage”)|Extra-Vehicular Activity|
|[Roscosmos](/r/Space/comments/1ekr1uy/stub/lgmfxe6 “Last usage”)|[State Corporation for Space Activities, Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscosmos_State_Corporation)|
|Jargon|Definition|
|——-|———|—|
|[Starliner](/r/Space/comments/1ekr1uy/stub/lgmtniy “Last usage”)|Boeing commercial crew capsule [CST-100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_CST-100_Starliner)|
**NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.
—————-
^(3 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Space/comments/1ejovfv)^( has 12 acronyms.)
^([Thread #10399 for this sub, first seen 5th Aug 2024, 16:42])
^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Space) [^[Contact]](https://hachyderm.io/@Two9A) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
>However, there is also another surprising reason for the delay—the need to update Starliner’s flight software. Three separate, well-placed sources have confirmed to Ars that the current flight software on board Starliner cannot perform an automated undocking from the space station and entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Ah-ha. Now this makes sense. It’s not just a matter of whether they *should* return without crew. It’s a matter of whether Boeing even can. And if they update the software to allow it, that’s a whole new set of a risks. I can totally buy the “we’re testing in space because we can’t on the ground” argument re: the thrusters. I can understand the challenge of helium leaks and the uncertainty of test missions. I can understand NASA and Boeing’s focus on being methodical and careful.
But if your bullshit spacecraft cannot leave the station without a crew, that I don’t understand, particularly when your spacecraft absolutely had that capability before. At this point, put the crew on a Dragon and end this disaster. Starliner is toast. No one will ever fly on this, particularly with the ISS deorbit. It’s over. Pack it in and bring them home on something we know works.
Starliner is like a clingy ex who just can’t manage to let go. Only in this case, literally.
They should’ve had Boeing’s CEO as the second astronaut, to see his opinion up there.
> However, there is also another surprising reason for the delay—the need to update Starliner’s flight software. Three separate, well-placed sources have confirmed to Ars that the current flight software on board Starliner cannot perform an automated undocking from the space station and entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
What. The. Fuck?