Posted on 05/25/2024 7:44:59 AM PDT by Salman
Boeing is set to launch its first crewed space mission in June without fixing a small helium gas leak on its troubled Starliner spaceship, officials said Friday.
The vessel, under development since 2010, has been plagued by technical problems and has yet to fulfill its purpose of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station, allowing Boeing's rival SpaceX to zoom ahead with its Crew Dragon capsule.
Starliner was supposed to finally fly astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the orbital outpost on May 6, but the mission was scrubbed hours before lift-off after a faulty valve was discovered on the United Launch Alliance rocket carrying it.
Since then, additional issues came to light, including a helium leak in the spacecraft's service module, which houses the propulsion system.
But while the rocket valve has been replaced, Boeing and NASA have made the decision to fly to the ISS without replacing a shirt button-sized seal on a leaking joint, officials told reporters.
"We can handle this particular leak if that leak rate were to grow even up to 100 times," said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Moreover, it impacts just one of a set of 28 thrusters used to control the spaceship's attitude, he added.
...
(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...
Do any of the DEI hires know that the pressure differential on the leak will be higher in space that it is on earth meaning the leak may exceed their 100x ‘safe’ allowance?
First thing I thought of.
I was just thinking that. Yeah, it’s a little cold, but the O-rings will probably hold and we REALLY need to get that teacher launched.
“Houston, we have a problem…”
On clear days if the trajectory it right I can see Cape Canaveral space shots from my front yard.
I’m gonna make it a point to look for this one.
Ask Elon Musk.
He was a genuine SOB, but Admiral Rickover would have chewed Boeing a new one over this...and the leak would be fixed.
Ouston we be havin shi going down.
Gene Kranz would never allow this to fly
Imagine Boeing trying to develop the Starlink satellite network. It would cost trillion$ and be scheduled for commercial launch sometime after California finishes its high speed rail network.
WHAT could possibly go wrong?
Is Boeing trying to put itself out of business?
It’s too much trouble for something that’s not coming back ?
Who knows, just ask this guy.
Exactly
SpaceX would not allow this to fly. I've seen Falcon9 launches scrubbed over malfunctioning valves at T-3 (or so). They fix the valve and launch a few days later.
Because they're not stupid.
Why do people post without reading the article?
I read the article.
“Starliner” reminds me of a 1979 Buick my Dad once owned. Poor design, shoddy workmanship ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.