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.
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 ...
Your final statement in your post:
"No amount of exposure to radiation can be considered safe."
is also at odds with reality.
I Know.....we were living in Chicago when they moved there.
I included you in my response because wasdaddy was responding to tyour comment. Have a great day, FRiend.
I don't know where that came from, but it's malarkey. The Challenger crew may have survived, and even remained conscious, during the midair dissassembly of their spacecraft, but if so, they certainly died instantly during the >200g deceleration they encountered when the crew cabin hit the water 45 seconds or so later.
And never, ever eat a banana.
Lol!
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.