Posted on 06/29/2024 7:01:25 AM PDT by Salman
The first astronauts to fly Boeing's troubled Starliner are definitely not "stranded" at the International Space Station, NASA insisted Friday despite having no clear timeframe for bringing them home.
In an unusually defensive press call, officials attempted to put a positive spin on where things currently stood after weeks of negative headlines due to the spaceship's delayed return.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off on June 5 following years of delays and safety scares affecting Starliner, as well as two aborted launch attempts that came as astronauts were strapped in and ready to go.
They docked the following day for what was meant to be roughly a week-long stay, but their return has been pushed back multiple times because of thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that came to light during the journey.
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(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...
DIEliner
đź‘Ť High Pitched Voice Liner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBNcPpumk90
That helium has to go somewhere, so you might as well use it for some giggles.
But they're not stranded...
The helium leaks aren’t the problem, right now. It is the thrusters.
When the thrusters are fired, they detect combustion by measuring pressure in the combustion chamber or nozzle. Within just a few milliseconds they expect to see pressure come up in the chamber.
If the pressure does not come up within a certain time-frame, they shut down the thruster.
These thruster use hypergolic fuels, meaning they ignite on contact. For smooth operation, the valves need to open precisely at the right time so that one liquid does not accumulate before the other arrives. If you have valve issues or fuel supply issues, BOOM.
They had several pressure sensors fail, giving incorrect readings. The thruster would not fire, or remain firing for more than a few milliseconds. There are some concerns about over temperatures effecting the pressure sensors. They ought to be concerned.
It is my understanding that they can override the pressure sensor data. But that comes with more risks. What if the sensors are correct?
They are running ground tests right now to gain a better understanding of the effects of heat on the pressure sensors.
Yes, that is saying something. Is there anything that the Biden Regime has improved, beyond their personal bank accounts?
Double down on a lie.
Actually the crew isn’t stranded, the Starliner is. There are five other vehicles docked at the ISS right now, and the astronauts can come down on one of the other five vehicles. The Starliner isn’t fit to travel on, however.
...wasn’t NASA the governmental agency that signed off on the Space Shuttle’s expected catastrophic failure rate of 1 in 75 launches being deemed an “acceptable risk”? Just say’in.
Boeing has not been doing well with their maintenance performance lately.
wy69
Nope they brought their Surfboards
“The Starliner isn’t fit to travel on, however”
Initial reports of the situation by NASA made it sound like Starliner and crew would be able to re-enter without risk at a later date. Were they wrong or did I just not hear it correctly?
Did you see how happy what’s her face was when she got of Starliner deathtrap ?
There was a term for it in the Apollo days: “Go Fever”. A rush to get hardware working and on orbit. It’s happening again. And NASA is right, they’re not stranded. SpaceX can go get them at any time.
My speculative conclusion. Otherwise why aren’t the astronauts flying back on the Starliner?
I believe that there was a “milestone payment” hanging on the launch. So they took a big chance to cash a much needed big check. And now, program deficits having been made up (as much as possible) they can deal with the aftermath.
BTW, how many docking stations are there on the ISS?
Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the spare hardware available.
I’d like to see how gung-hoe the top dull metal are if they were made to be a test dummy when they do crap like this...
What? You are actually stating facts, logic, and reality into this thread instead of imaginary blather? No fun. /s
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