Boeing Starliner
Discussion
Scott Manley's latest video seems surprisingly pessimistic about Starliner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM2UpLIpRhI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM2UpLIpRhI
No, It won't be ready to try again until early 2022 at least.
They've been having a joint press conference with NASA today. Two of the faulty valves have been removed and will be sent for CT (X-ray scan) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Others will go for testing with fuel at White Sands.
This Starliner was fuelled up 46 days before it was supposed to fly. It's designed to be done up to 60 days before apparently. On the previous (abortive) mission, it was fuelled 35 days before flight, although they did a wet dress rehearsal 21st days before launch.
They just need to chuck a few packets of silica gel in and duct tape up the valve exhausts.
They've been having a joint press conference with NASA today. Two of the faulty valves have been removed and will be sent for CT (X-ray scan) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Others will go for testing with fuel at White Sands.
This Starliner was fuelled up 46 days before it was supposed to fly. It's designed to be done up to 60 days before apparently. On the previous (abortive) mission, it was fuelled 35 days before flight, although they did a wet dress rehearsal 21st days before launch.
They just need to chuck a few packets of silica gel in and duct tape up the valve exhausts.
While Gemini had a longer life in active mode, and was a excellent capsule that isn’t given enough credit today, it actually has less life support capability than both Dragon 2 and Starliner. If you look at how many people the capsules have to support, not the amount of time that they can support the maximum occupants, then the true life support capability can be found. In addition, modern electronics and equipment are probably a lot more energy-intensive.
The space shuttle is another matter. While it achieved great things, it was a compromised design and never achieved its true purpose (make stuff cheaper to get into orbit). It was a bad reusable spaceship, since it’s 1960s tech made it difficult to achieve said cheap re usability. As
a result (and maybe because I was too late for the Shuttle), I don’t think the shuttle really furthered space travel. However, maybe the Starship will continue and further its legacy.
As for a large space settlement or base, capsules can’t really support such a endeavour. However, Starship is a step in the right direction.
The space shuttle is another matter. While it achieved great things, it was a compromised design and never achieved its true purpose (make stuff cheaper to get into orbit). It was a bad reusable spaceship, since it’s 1960s tech made it difficult to achieve said cheap re usability. As
a result (and maybe because I was too late for the Shuttle), I don’t think the shuttle really furthered space travel. However, maybe the Starship will continue and further its legacy.
As for a large space settlement or base, capsules can’t really support such a endeavour. However, Starship is a step in the right direction.
Very true about the Shuttle.
In many ways, Gemini was a cobbled together project in that the original plan would have been to transition from Mercury direct to Apollo. When Apollo was given the moon landing objective (not its original purpose), it was realised that a whole load of new techniques for spaceflight would need to be learned very quickly, so a quick and dirty interim design was needed - which became Gemini.
In the end, Gemini proved to be a tough little bird but it wasn't really capable of being extended beyond the original specifications - although it would have been interesting to see how the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project would have worked, if it hadn't been axed.
In many ways, Gemini was a cobbled together project in that the original plan would have been to transition from Mercury direct to Apollo. When Apollo was given the moon landing objective (not its original purpose), it was realised that a whole load of new techniques for spaceflight would need to be learned very quickly, so a quick and dirty interim design was needed - which became Gemini.
In the end, Gemini proved to be a tough little bird but it wasn't really capable of being extended beyond the original specifications - although it would have been interesting to see how the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project would have worked, if it hadn't been axed.
NASA are having a press conference on the Starliner spacecraft and its upcoming Orbital Flight Test-2 mission later today.
This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
NASA are having a press conference on the Starliner spacecraft and its upcoming Orbital Flight Test-2 mission later today.
This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
Update:
They plan to launch a new, unmanned Starliner capsule to the ISS on 19th May, 6.54 pm eastern time (11.54 pm UK time). Back up is the next day.
As previous established, the valve problem was caused by a combination of the ambient moisture & nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) rocket fuel, creating nitric acid. It was this nitric acid that corroded the aluminium valve housings, preventing them from opening properly. Extensive testing on and off the vehicle has supported this.
They believe they've resolved the valve issue now. Same valve design, but they've improved the seals on the electrical connectors that were a potential path of the moisture ingress.. They're now able to purge the valves with nitrogen to exclude any ambient air & moisture. The loading of NTO will be done closer to launch and they'll be cycling the valves every 2 days to check function from now on.
This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
Update:
They plan to launch a new, unmanned Starliner capsule to the ISS on 19th May, 6.54 pm eastern time (11.54 pm UK time). Back up is the next day.
As previous established, the valve problem was caused by a combination of the ambient moisture & nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) rocket fuel, creating nitric acid. It was this nitric acid that corroded the aluminium valve housings, preventing them from opening properly. Extensive testing on and off the vehicle has supported this.
They believe they've resolved the valve issue now. Same valve design, but they've improved the seals on the electrical connectors that were a potential path of the moisture ingress.. They're now able to purge the valves with nitrogen to exclude any ambient air & moisture. The loading of NTO will be done closer to launch and they'll be cycling the valves every 2 days to check function from now on.
Beati Dogu said:
NASA are having a press conference on the Starliner spacecraft and its upcoming Orbital Flight Test-2 mission later today.
This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
Update:
They plan to launch a new, unmanned Starliner capsule to the ISS on 19th May, 6.54 pm eastern time (11.54 pm UK time). Back up is the next day.
As previous established, the valve problem was caused by a combination of the ambient moisture & nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) rocket fuel, creating nitric acid. It was this nitric acid that corroded the aluminium valve housings, preventing them from opening properly. Extensive testing on and off the vehicle has supported this.
They believe they've resolved the valve issue now. Same valve design, but they've improved the seals on the electrical connectors that were a potential path of the moisture ingress.. They're now able to purge the valves with nitrogen to exclude any ambient air & moisture. The loading of NTO will be done closer to launch and they'll be cycling the valves every 2 days to check function from now on.
The transport vehicle throwing a wobbly this time This will be at 5pm UK time (noon ET / 16:00 UTC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jd6q1q1-T8
Update:
They plan to launch a new, unmanned Starliner capsule to the ISS on 19th May, 6.54 pm eastern time (11.54 pm UK time). Back up is the next day.
As previous established, the valve problem was caused by a combination of the ambient moisture & nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) rocket fuel, creating nitric acid. It was this nitric acid that corroded the aluminium valve housings, preventing them from opening properly. Extensive testing on and off the vehicle has supported this.
They believe they've resolved the valve issue now. Same valve design, but they've improved the seals on the electrical connectors that were a potential path of the moisture ingress.. They're now able to purge the valves with nitrogen to exclude any ambient air & moisture. The loading of NTO will be done closer to launch and they'll be cycling the valves every 2 days to check function from now on.
- Starliner rollout to the launch complex has been paused due to a hydraulic leak on the
transport vehicle. The maintenance team is on the way to assess.
https://twitter.com/BoeingSpace/status/15217790575...
A protective window cover fell off while they were transporting it as well. After a brief pause, they were able to continue to the pad. Looks like the wind may have blown it off.
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/152188727...
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/152188727...
It's fairly easy to for these thing to end up getting a bit tribal, but hopefully this gets there in the end. While the spacex crew launches are starting to get a good track record it's easy to forget they lost a capsule as well on a pad test back in 2019, and for what looks like similar valve problems that starliner has had.
It's a good question. I expect NASA is keen to have that facility, although they can also use the Cygnus resupply spacecraft for that these days. The one currently attached is the first commercial spacecraft to do so.
Everyone will probably just be happy to have Starliner get there and back this time round.
Everyone will probably just be happy to have Starliner get there and back this time round.
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