Boeing Starliner
Joined: Feb 2015
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From: Cincinnati, Ohio
The continued postponement of Starliner's re-entry date concerns me. If helium leaks represented a threat to safe flight, the craft would have been brought home soonest to limit pressure loss. Malfunctioning and non-functioning thrusters are a matter of grave importance. Correct flight attitudes during re-entry are critical; axis excursions might lead to loss of crew. Perhaps there is another glitch of which we are unaware. Do Boeing and NASA know something we don't? Fingers crossed for Butch and Suni.
- Ed
- Ed
- Ed
Fleet Manager
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Ontario, Canada
Thinking that the mission for Suni and Butch has evolved from 8 day s to 8 months, I'm imagining a NASA recruiting poster saying something like "Join NASA and see the world" - "again, and again, and again.......".
Though I'm certainly not knowledgeable on spacecraft, software, and helium leaks, I do know something about signing on the line saying that an aircraft is fit and safe for fight. I can't blame a staff member somewhere in a suitable safety structure in NASA or Boeing for, in their best conscience, saying "I can't sign on that line with what I know to date". I think back to the congressional investigations following the Apollo 1 fire, where (I believe it was Deke Slayton) said that it was "failure of imagination" "We just did not ever imagine that type of risk". So now, no one wants to be the person who could next be in front of a congressional investigation, admitting that they did not think of a risk - particularly if they work for Boeing!
I remember the old pilot saying "it's better to be down here, wishing you were up there, than being up there, wishing you were down here". I guess that that needs to be changed for spaceflight, to say "better to be up there, then on your way back down, wishing you'd stayed up"!
Though I'm certainly not knowledgeable on spacecraft, software, and helium leaks, I do know something about signing on the line saying that an aircraft is fit and safe for fight. I can't blame a staff member somewhere in a suitable safety structure in NASA or Boeing for, in their best conscience, saying "I can't sign on that line with what I know to date". I think back to the congressional investigations following the Apollo 1 fire, where (I believe it was Deke Slayton) said that it was "failure of imagination" "We just did not ever imagine that type of risk". So now, no one wants to be the person who could next be in front of a congressional investigation, admitting that they did not think of a risk - particularly if they work for Boeing!
I remember the old pilot saying "it's better to be down here, wishing you were up there, than being up there, wishing you were down here". I guess that that needs to be changed for spaceflight, to say "better to be up there, then on your way back down, wishing you'd stayed up"!
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: (LFA 7a)
Out of interest, now that the ISS has two 'extra mouths to feed' so to speak- how much food reserves are carried for such contingencies? What about such mundane things as spare clothes? Toothbrushes? I guess it could be quite a list that two more crew than is planned for could generate?
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Near Stuttgart, Germany
Out of interest, now that the ISS has two 'extra mouths to feed' so to speak- how much food reserves are carried for such contingencies? What about such mundane things as spare clothes? Toothbrushes? I guess it could be quite a list that two more crew than is planned for could generate?
Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Within AM radio broadcast range of downtown Chicago
There have been two uncrewed supply missions in August alone (one Cygnus and one Progress capsule) so I would guess that they packed enough spare socks on these to cater for the needs of "Suni" and "Butch" as well... BTW: For us Europeans, at least for me, it is still totally unusual, that highly respected people like these astronauts are are generally referred to on first name basis. Would the media talk about the president and his vice president as "Joe and Kamala"? Certainly not. Or were Armstrong and Aldrin ever called "Neil and Buzz" while they were on their moon mission? Not that I can remember.
But I understand your point as referring more directly to the public-relations and media settings. I think you're probably correct, in that nicknames or diminutive forms were not generally substituted for the astronauts' full names, for example, Tom Stafford, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell.
Still, especially since both Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are U.S. Navy, recognition must be given here to the late Charles "Pete" Conrad (U.S. Navy/NASA Astronaut) - referred to with his nickname included, frequently in place of his given name.
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From: London UK
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: London, England
Though I'm certainly not knowledgeable on spacecraft, software, and helium leaks, I do know something about signing on the line saying that an aircraft is fit and safe for fight. I can't blame a staff member somewhere in a suitable safety structure in NASA or Boeing for, in their best conscience, saying "I can't sign on that line with what I know to date". I think back to the congressional investigations following the Apollo 1 fire, where (I believe it was Deke Slayton) said that it was "failure of imagination" "We just did not ever imagine that type of risk".
it’s progress that in this case NASA has given itself options. Even if they’d fully appreciated their dire situation, STS-107 had few. Before that, Commander Hoot Gibson, way back on STS-27, was as convinced his crew would perish on reentry and also had few, if any, options.
0918
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Canada/Malaysia
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Peripatetic
Word is it won’t go through - Boeing and LM vastly overvalue what is a company which has lost most of its market to SpaceX already and has more competitors such as Blue Origin rapidly overtaking them.
ULA is the modern day WordPerfect or Kodak……
ULA is the modern day WordPerfect or Kodak……
Joined: Oct 2019
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From: USA
OK - Boeing and NASA and now SpaceX all have plans in place.
What of the rest of us?
We need to get roughly 3 Million people into full Gorilla and Orangutan and Chimp-like costumes and be ready to meet those returned from their unexpected stranding in every location they might go. Can we count on support from Uber and Lyft if they are hailed for the rides home? It will be asking a lot, I know, for some to perhaps be shoveling snow in these costumes, but it is so worth the effort.
The costumes don't have to be good. Not particularly convincing. They just have to be everywhere.
Remember. Apes Together Strong!
What of the rest of us?
We need to get roughly 3 Million people into full Gorilla and Orangutan and Chimp-like costumes and be ready to meet those returned from their unexpected stranding in every location they might go. Can we count on support from Uber and Lyft if they are hailed for the rides home? It will be asking a lot, I know, for some to perhaps be shoveling snow in these costumes, but it is so worth the effort.
The costumes don't have to be good. Not particularly convincing. They just have to be everywhere.
Remember. Apes Together Strong!
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: UK
Joined: Oct 2018
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From: Ferrara
"ULA is the modern day WordPerfect or Kodak……"
Hmmm - but WordPerfect was so much better than Word - I spent a happy 45 minutes trying to format a contract last week in Word- just a nightmare
Hmmm - but WordPerfect was so much better than Word - I spent a happy 45 minutes trying to format a contract last week in Word- just a nightmare
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
But it was complex, only really usable by experts, and expensive. It was abandoned by the customer market and the company went under because it had so many overheads and inefficient practices.
You can't beat the market.
You can't beat the market.
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Norfolk, UK
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
NASA:
NASA and Boeing teams are "go" to proceed with undocking the uncrewed #Starliner from the @Space_Station on Friday, Sept. 6.
Undocking coverage is set to begin at 5:45pm ET (2145 UTC), with Starliner touching down at 12:03am (0403 UTC) on Sept. 7.
NASA and Boeing teams are "go" to proceed with undocking the uncrewed #Starliner from the @Space_Station on Friday, Sept. 6.
Undocking coverage is set to begin at 5:45pm ET (2145 UTC), with Starliner touching down at 12:03am (0403 UTC) on Sept. 7.
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Love the headline reference - and the readers comments are brilliant……
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/0...s-on-saturday/
SUBMARINES IN SPACE —
The Starliner spacecraft has started to emit strange noises
On Saturday NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore noticed some strange noises emanating from a speaker inside the Starliner spacecraft.
"I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "There's a strange noise coming through the speaker ... I don't know what's making it."…..
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/0...s-on-saturday/
SUBMARINES IN SPACE —
The Starliner spacecraft has started to emit strange noises
On Saturday NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore noticed some strange noises emanating from a speaker inside the Starliner spacecraft.
"I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "There's a strange noise coming through the speaker ... I don't know what's making it."…..
Last edited by ORAC; 1st September 2024 at 19:55.
Thread Starter
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Everyone is freaking out over this, but there are many logical explanations.
Although Starliner is *most* likely haunted, it could also be aliens, space whales, sophon interference, forever lost cosmonauts banging on the hatch begging to be let in, or simply the Babadook.
Although Starliner is *most* likely haunted, it could also be aliens, space whales, sophon interference, forever lost cosmonauts banging on the hatch begging to be let in, or simply the Babadook.