SPACE

Retired Astronaut Admits Boeing's Starliner Has Trapped Crew in Space

Sharon Adarlo
Sat, July 27, 2024


Air Lock

With two NASA astronauts still stranded in space for weeks, officials at the space agency have insisted that the troubled Boeing Starliner, plagued with technical issues, can take the two explorers back to Earth.

So, why haven't they already?

An unnamed retired astronaut tells The Atlantic the obvious truth that NASA has been dancing around since the beginning of this space boondoggle: it's just too risky right now.


"Of course they don’t feel comfortable putting them in the vehicle," the retired astronaut told the magazine, referring to the Starliner, which transported the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) back in June and is meant to return them back home. "Otherwise they would have put them in it already."
Expect Delays

No date has been set for a return trip, with the earliest date now pushed back to August. To explain away the delay, NASA officials have said repeatedly that they want to test and troubleshoot the Starliner capsule before committing to a return trip.

The trouble started when helium leaks were discovered on Starliner prior to takeoff. They opted to launch anyway, and on its journey toward the ISS, it started experiencing additional leaks and malfunctioning thrusters.

Boeing has gotten the brunt of the negative press, not least because the company's airplanes have been in the news for falling doors and other quality control issues, casting a pall over its space efforts as well.

But NASA shouldn't escape scrutiny, the Atlantic article argues, and the space agency has been less than forthcoming with issues surrounding the Starliner, which has been ill-fated from the start of its development with various technical issues and aborted launches.
Boys Club

For its part, NASA is eager to have a second option for ferrying astronauts into space beyond the more battle-tested Dragon capsule manufactured by SpaceX.

But even setting aside the Starliner, NASA 's relationship with SpaceX, headed by mercurial tech billionaire Elon Musk, has had its own fair share of headaches.

While SpaceX missions into space have been successful, the commercial space outfit has seen death and injuries to personnel, not to mention Musk's purported drug use and inappropriate relations with women staff.

One of those female staff members, a flight attendant, sued Musk for exposing his penis to her, resulting in a $250,000 payout to quiet down the scandal.

There's been no answer from NASA on these issues, but with American dollars being used for these missions, there's no question that the space agency needs to be more transparent.

More on Boeing Starliner: Boeing's Starliner Stuck at the ISS Until at Least August, NASA Admits

Still no return date for Starliner but final tests underway, NASA and Boeing say

NASA says astronauts stuck at space station until troubled Boeing capsule can be fixed

NEWS WIRES
Thu, July 25, 2024 



NASA has yet to fix a return date for its two astronauts at the International Space Station, who have now been stuck there for more than a month due to technical issues with the Boeing-manufactured Starliner capsule intended to bring them back to Earth. The new spacecraft experienced thruster failures and helium leaks upon docking at the ISS in early June. The US space agency says it is also reviewing backup return options including using SpaceX's Dragon capsule.

Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday.

Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to visit the orbiting lab for about a week and return in mid-June, but thruster failures and helium leaks on Boeing's new Starliner capsule prompted NASA and Boeing to keep them up longer.

NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said mission managers are not ready to announce a return date. The goal is to bring Wilmore and Williams back aboard Starliner, he added.

“We'll come home when we're ready,” Stich said.

Stich acknowledged that backup options are under review. SpaceX's Dragon capsule is another means of getting NASA astronauts to and from the space station.

“NASA always has contingency options," he said.

(AP)


Boeing capsule astronauts remain at Space Station with no return date, NASA says

LEAH SARNOFF
Thu, July 25, 2024 

Boeing Starliner's first astronaut-crewed capsule, which launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, remains docked at the station with no official return date, NASA said Thursday.

"We don't have a major announcement today relative to a return date," NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said during a joint press conference with Boeing officials.

PHOTO: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on the day of Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 1, 2024. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

"We're making great progress, but we're just not quite ready to do that," Stich added.

MORE: Boeing's Starliner launches its 1st astronaut-crewed flight after several delays

What was initially planned to be an eight-day mission, has now spanned over 50 days, with veteran NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams' return to Earth delayed until at least August, according to officials.

Thruster failures that caused issues on the launch trip to ISS and helium leaks on the Starliner capsule have led to continued delays, according to Boeing.

PHOTO: Boeing Starliner spacecraft prepares to dock with the International Space Station for the first time on June 6, 2024. (NASA via AP)

The Aerospace giant has been testing the capsule's propulsion system in White Sands, New Mexico, to identify the cause of the issues, according to Stich, who said analysis of the findings will be done this weekend.

In order to get the go-ahead for a return mission, NASA must review Boeing's engineering, which may not happen until the first week of August, Stich said.

MORE: Boeing's Starliner has 5 'small' helium leaks as astronauts' ISS mission is extended: NASA

On June 11, Boeing officials said the capsule was experiencing five "small" helium leaks as its first astronaut-crewed flight test continued.

PHOTO: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wait for liftoff inside the Boeing Starliner capsule at Space Launch Complex 41, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (NASA via AP)

Helium is used to pressurize the spacecraft's reaction control system (RCS) maneuvering thrusters, allowing them to fire, according to Boeing.

"Our focus today is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner," Stich said of the astronauts. "I think we're starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure we can come home safely and that's our primary focus right now."

Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the commercial crew program at Boeing, was asked if there were any regrets about the mission.

"I think the only thing we'd do differently, is we would not have been so empathic about an eight-day mission," Nappi said of the repeated delays. "We kept saying 'eight-day minimum mission,' I think we all knew it was going to go longer than that, it's my regret that we didn't just say 'we're gonna stay up there until we get everything done we want to go do.'"

ABC News' Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.

Boeing capsule astronauts remain at Space Station with no return date, NASA says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com