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Astronauts stranded in space due to multiple issues with Boeing's Starliner — and the window for a return flight is closing
Live Science ^ | 6/24/24 | Ben Turner

Posted on 06/24/2024 7:41:11 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom

Editor's note: NASA announced on Friday that Starliner's troubleshooting has been extended for a third time, meaning that the astronauts will stay aboard the International Space Station indefinitely until some time in July.


Two NASA astronauts who rode to orbit on Boeing's Starliner are stranded in space aboard the ISS after engineers discovered numerous issues with the Boeing spacecraft. Teams on the ground are now racing to assess Starliner's status.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 13 after a week on the ISS, but their stay has been extended for a third time due to the ongoing issues.

...Boeing's Starliner capsule successfully blasted off...on June 5. But during the 25-hour flight, engineers discovered five separate helium leaks to the spacecraft's thruster system.

...to give engineers time to troubleshoot the faults, NASA has announced it will push back the perilous return flight, extending the crew's stay on the space station to at least three weeks.

"We've learned that our helium system is not performing as designed," Mark Nappi, Boeing's Starliner program manager, said at a news conference on June 18. "Albeit manageable, it's still not working like we designed it. So we've got to go figure that out."

...NASA and Boeing engineers assess the vital hardware issues aboard the vessel, including five helium leaks to the system that pressurizes the spacecraft's propulsion system, and five thruster failures to its reaction-control system.

After powering the thrusters up on June 15, engineers found that most of these issues appeared to be at least partially resolved, but their exact causes remain unknown. However, the Harmony module's limited fuel means Starliner can only stay docked for 45 days, so the window for a safe return flight is narrowing.

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


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: affirmativeaction; astronauts; astronautsstranded; boeing; dei; die; diversity; nasa; oops; starliner; stranded; woke
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To: cgbg
I have nothing to teach

That much, at least, is true.

You do, however, have much to learn.

This issue will be settled in the real world.

This issue has already been settled in the real world. Those who can and will learn already know this.

101 posted on 06/24/2024 10:10:48 AM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: PIF
That's just a management decision. At worst, they'll go home on the next CrewDragon, after they have the extra suits and seats sent up.

Example of bad engineering management: who thought it was a good idea for SpaceX and Boeing suits to be incompatible with each other's spacecraft?

102 posted on 06/24/2024 10:13:26 AM PDT by Campion (Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love - Little Flower)
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To: Campion
And if the "anyone" institutionalizes enough bean-counters in senior positions, who don't value or understand engineering and think of engineers as interchangeable cost-centers, well, they're that much further from doing it well today.

That is every company today
103 posted on 06/24/2024 10:24:02 AM PDT by redgolum
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Gosh…if we only had our 60s technology and those black ladies to do all the Math….


104 posted on 06/24/2024 10:29:56 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Boeing can not be this incompetent by accident. DEI is part of it (we be hirin mo blacks!) for sure. But I bet mid level management pukes up tot the top of the board are in bed with china, who has their own Dreamliner coming out soon.


105 posted on 06/24/2024 11:20:54 AM PDT by Captainpaintball (America needs a Conservative DICTATOR if it hopes to survive. )
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To: wildcard_redneck

The guy who taught my (nuclear) reactor design course at LSU back in the early 1970’s matched this description to a “T”...he was part of the team that developed NERVA.


106 posted on 06/24/2024 11:49:44 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (NRA Life Member)
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To: chuckee

Weak “engineering” bachelor’s degree and an IT career af Ford and a bank. Of course he’s qualified to lead aviation.


107 posted on 06/24/2024 12:14:28 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
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To: Eccl 10:2

Incestuous locale


108 posted on 06/24/2024 12:49:34 PM PDT by wardaddy (. A disease in the public mind we're enduring…Alina Habba is fine as grits I'd drink her bathwater)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I bet if you dug deep into that IT career at Ford there would lots of interesting anecdotes—folks were probably working around the guy to get things done.


109 posted on 06/24/2024 12:51:16 PM PDT by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: cgbg

“ I bet if you dug deep into that IT career at Ford there would lots of interesting anecdotes—folks were probably working around the guy to get things done.”

That was my thought, too. He had no IT or CS education, so all of his IT experience came from OJT. We all learn on the job, no doubt, but there is usually some education to support your career.


110 posted on 06/24/2024 1:23:05 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
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To: Jan_Sobieski

Crew Dragon would like to have a word with you.


111 posted on 06/24/2024 1:25:15 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I had some hilarious job experiences with AA types.

Their flaws were exposed very quickly..communicated informally through trusted channels..and workarounds quietly and quickly created.

Several of these clowns got “awards” just like this guy.

Senior management was clueless—and we learned it was wiser to keep it that way.

Usually these “stars” were soon hired away by competitors who had no clue what they were getting.

Everybody had a good time at the “good bye” party.

Then HR found another one...

Rinse and repeat...


112 posted on 06/24/2024 1:30:32 PM PDT by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: cgbg

In fairness, I had two or three white bosses like that. They were all glad handers and self-promoters who had managed to get promoted way beyond their abilities. It always shocked me that the people in charge of promoting them did not see them for what they really were. A couple of them were downright crooked grifters. One who was really good at hoodwinking people and schmoozing customers became company president.


113 posted on 06/24/2024 1:35:30 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I had a couple of bad white bosses as well.

But—95% of the black hires fit the same pattern I described so we developed special procedures to “handle them”. What was interesting is that they didn’t mind people working around them since they had no clue what we were doing anyway and just wanted the pay check.

I had one black boss who would call me into his office now and then for a friendly chat. He knew he didn’t know what was happening and from time to time he would just the open ended question...”Is there anything I need to know about?”
I would smile and say “no”. We solved all the problems and he know we were doing it but it was a total mystery how we are doing it. It was all very friendly—I think he viewed us as in-house magicians.


114 posted on 06/24/2024 1:41:31 PM PDT by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: cgbg

LOL...$300k and zero value-added. Nice gig if you can land it.


115 posted on 06/24/2024 1:52:33 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
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To: T.B. Yoits

LOL!


116 posted on 06/24/2024 2:03:34 PM PDT by caddie
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To: Campion

That is not how it all works, there are no extra suits or seats for dragon incompatible launchvand entry suits between dragon and starliner. So just stop with the fantasy wishes


117 posted on 06/24/2024 2:35:54 PM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
Boeing's Starliner capsule successfully blasted off

Can they really call it "successful" if the force of the lift-off rattled the ship so much that leaks formed in critical storage tanks that impact its ability to return to earth?

That's like saying that the Space Shuttle Columbia had a "successful" launch when we now know that chunks of insulation from the external fuel tank broke off and damaged the heat shields and led to its destruction on reentry.

-PJ

118 posted on 06/24/2024 2:42:56 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: markman46

What does that mean? You send up a Dragon with two empty seats, and entry suits for the two Starliner astronauts. That’s not a “fantasy wish”, that’s actually pretty straightforward. It definitely fouls up the mission schedule ... too bad.


119 posted on 06/24/2024 3:21:15 PM PDT by Campion (Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love - Little Flower)
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To: redgolum

Yup.


120 posted on 06/25/2024 12:17:02 AM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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