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NASA to decide stranded Starliner astronauts' route home by end of month
AFP via Space Daily ^ | Chris Lefkow | Chris Lefkow

Posted on 08/15/2024 7:05:36 AM PDT by Salman

NASA needs to decide by the end of August whether to return two astronauts to Earth aboard Boeing's Starliner, which flew them to the International Space Station (ISS), or bring them home on a SpaceX craft, officials said Wednesday.

NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams blasted off for the ISS on Starliner on June 5 for what was meant to be an eight-day stay.

But their return has been delayed by thruster malfunctions that came to light during the first crewed mission to the ISS by the Boeing spacecraft.

NASA officials, at a press conference on Wednesday, said they were still analyzing thruster data, but a decision on whether to use Starliner or Boeing's rival SpaceX was looming.

"We're reaching a point where that last week in August we really should be making a call, if not sooner," said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: athreehourtour; barrywilmore; boeing; butchwilmore; ifitsboeing; iss; kenbowersox; lostinspace; nasa; space; spaceoddity; spacex; starjunker; starliner; stranded; sunitawilliams; suniwilliams
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So ... SpaceX to the rescue being considered after all.

Not a sure thing officially yet, but ...

1 posted on 08/15/2024 7:05:36 AM PDT by Salman
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To: Salman

They found work for these two to do while they’re stuck there, right?

They’re not just sitting around, I hope.


2 posted on 08/15/2024 7:08:44 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: Salman

When DEI surfaces and endangers lives.


3 posted on 08/15/2024 7:09:17 AM PDT by brownsfan (It's going to take real, serious, hard times to wake the American public.)
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To: BenLurkin

Outreach NASA...

Perhaps they could help count ballots on Nov 5 (and Nov 6, Nov 7, ...)


4 posted on 08/15/2024 7:10:28 AM PDT by C210N (Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.)
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To: BenLurkin
They found work for these two to do while they’re stuck there, right?

They’re not just sitting around, I hope.


I'm sure NASA can find them plenty to work on. Even if they are out of things to do, I don't believe the two of them are alone with each other up there - IIRC there are 5 other astronauts from various nations also in the ISS. They can help them if they have nothing else to do.

But what a disaster for Boeing, and for NASA.
5 posted on 08/15/2024 7:11:52 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Salman

NASA better make up its mind soon or Congress will have to pass a law defining benefits for retirees in space.


6 posted on 08/15/2024 7:12:15 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck (He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.)
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To: Salman

Giligan’s Island...3 hour tour.


7 posted on 08/15/2024 7:12:33 AM PDT by silent majority rising (When it is dark enough, men see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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To: Salman

Better call Elon


8 posted on 08/15/2024 7:12:45 AM PDT by bigbob
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To: Salman

9 posted on 08/15/2024 7:13:28 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Salman

As I understand it they only have two docking ports. If one is permanently blocked that just leaves one. What happens when that one gets damaged or blocked?

Used to be when someone was a “rocket scientist” they were the top in their field, now days perhaps not. I guess a few billions of dollars don’t buy much anymore.


10 posted on 08/15/2024 7:13:53 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: Salman
"Hi, guys! Get your stuff; we're going home."

Musk

11 posted on 08/15/2024 7:15:18 AM PDT by MikelTackNailer (Listen to me now, think about it later and cry about it some other day.)
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To: Salman

Space Oddity (David Bowie).

Hopefully they will bring in the competent engineers that were once fired or overlooked due to the color of their skin and/or gender and get the job done.

And done right.


12 posted on 08/15/2024 7:16:29 AM PDT by Thorium90
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To: BenLurkin

13 posted on 08/15/2024 7:19:32 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Salman

If NASA and DoD retirees start deciding to sign on with Spacex instead of Boeing, Boeing is history.


14 posted on 08/15/2024 7:20:23 AM PDT by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: BenLurkin

Yep, they’re washing the exterior and giving it high shine.


15 posted on 08/15/2024 7:21:40 AM PDT by DownInFlames (P)
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To: Thorium90
Hopefully they will bring in the competent engineers that were once fired or overlooked due to the color of their skin and/or gender and get the job done.

Those engineers are long gone and not coming back.

As they say in the military and what the younger generation is being forced to learn - "embrace the suck".

16 posted on 08/15/2024 7:22:34 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

When the leaky hulk managed to get docked, I’m sure that it was clear to at least one person in the decisionmaking chain that it wasn’t fit for further crewed flight — but everyone else (meaning Boeing and its corrupt advocates in and out of gubmint) have been insisting on “further tests” and “data gathering”.

Boeing sent it up without the software for automated (unmanned) undocking and/or reentry. The company should be fined for that, and IMHO someone needs some prison time for making that decision.

And, needless to say, the Starliner should be defunded.

NASA/Congress has been on a roll — they want to return to the Moon, so that fine new rover got built after many years and $400 million, then sending it to the Moon was cancelled.

The STS is (allegedly) capable of going to the Moon, but without a lander. This may be related to the no-trip-for-the-new-rover fiasco.

This BS started almost the day Zero was in office, when the Bush-era system for lunar return had its plugged pulled, despite being well along in development and capability. It was given a flight test, then the whole thing was scrapped by Obama’s POS appointee.

Y’know, I’m not old enough to have seen this, but...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043581/


17 posted on 08/15/2024 7:23:07 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: Salman
NASA to decide stranded Starliner astronauts' route home by end of month

I believe that they are using an Artificial Intelligence to decide their fate:

Regards,

18 posted on 08/15/2024 7:23:47 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Salman
So ... SpaceX to the rescue being considered after all.

But as far as I can tell, they're considering allowing the SpaceX astronauts to spend their entire scheduled time onboard the ISS before giving the stranded astronauts a ride back to Earth.

19 posted on 08/15/2024 7:25:31 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: CIB-173RDABN
As I understand it they only have two docking ports. If one is permanently blocked that just leaves one. What happens when that one gets damaged or blocked? Used to be when someone was a “rocket scientist” they were the top in their field, now days perhaps not. I guess a few billions of dollars don’t buy much anymore.

Actually both docking ports are in use right now, one by SpaceX Dragon and one by the NASA/Boeing POS. Schedules have already been disrupted and it will be a mess straightening things out. NASA should just cancel Boeings @$$ they have wasted billions of taxpayer dollars through shear incompetence. And if I recall their oh so special craft is incapable of returning without a crew and unsafe to return a crew. Cut our losses now, de orbit that Boeing POS and contract with.....yeah contract with who? Not Bezos, his company is as bad as Boeings! Looks like for some time yet it's SpaceX or a CRAP shoot.

20 posted on 08/15/2024 7:27:21 AM PDT by Mastador1
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