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Not out of the woods yet - two new helium leaks: https://x.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1798528269416911143
Stich emphasized that testing in orbit on Saturday (June 15) gave the team confidence that Starliner is recovering. "Saturday was a big day of understanding that helium leaks have gone down, and also understanding the thrusters have recovered, and that we can count on the thrusters for the remainder of the flight," he said.
Return delayed yet again: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/06/nasa-indefinitely-delays-return-of-starliner-to-review-propulsion-data/. Announced Friday (6/21) evening - traditionally the time to roll out bad news.
NASA indefinitely delays return of Starliner to review propulsion data
Quote from: AlbertL on June 22, 2024, 10:32:32 amReturn delayed yet again: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/06/nasa-indefinitely-delays-return-of-starliner-to-review-propulsion-data/. Announced Friday (6/21) evening - traditionally the time to roll out bad news.Hmm, indeed, it certainly isn't good news for Boeing.
Valves are just super tricky to get right. I had to assemble a few that took like three PhD theses to design for some tests. You wouldn't believe the finesse required in actually assembling a working valve, even with all the parts and written documentation available. Without the correct parts in stock and someone very intimately familiar with the design? You probably get something like what is currently happening with Starliner.
But basically they are currently stuck there just to save Boeing's face?
Quote from: SiliconWizard on August 06, 2024, 10:12:08 pmBut basically they are currently stuck there just to save Boeing's face?I don't think so. NASA is legitmately concerned that if they undock the Starliner autonomously, and the software isn't just right, then it could crash into the ISS. That would be a catastrophic event, and could well lead to the deaths of crew if significant impact energy occurs. I suspect in this case NASA don't really know what they can do. They are probably privately very pissed off at Boeing for not including the autonomous operation software in the current build.
and the astronauts may be stuck forever
There are two docking ports. One is unoccupied, the other has Starliner attached to it. Worst case, I think they can use the spare port to return astronauts home via Dragon, and then figure out how to sort out Starliner later. If it is really bad, they might just have to detach it and maneuver ISS well away from the craft and it becomes another bit of space junk. I do expect Boeing will figure it out - but they will lose a lot of face in the meantime.
NASA has consistently said that ‘crew safety’ will be its No. 1 priority in deciding how to proceed.