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Boeing capsule launches to wrong orbit; skips space station

13 Comments
By MARCIA DUNN

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13 Comments
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This is next Boeing MAX failure..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Sell that Boeing stock.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Those problems apparently stemmed from an error with Starliner's onboard timing system, NASA officials and Boeing representatives said during a postlaunch news conference. Starliner seemed to think it was conducting an orbit-insertion burn when it actually was not. As a result, the capsule performed a series of unnecessary orientation-maintaining firings of its small reaction-control thrusters, using up lots of propellant in the process.

https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-unlucky-tdrs-communications-satellites.html

"By the time we were able to get signals up to actually command it to do the orbital insertion burn, it was a bit too late,"

They were between Tracking and Data Relay Satellites and couldn't get a signal to the capsule. Bad luck and I bet that aspect will always be considered in future launches. NASA has 10 TDRS in geosynchronous orbit.

All of this is guesses.

Astronauts would have seen the incorrect mode and fixed it, making the ISS rendezvous, if they were present.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

NASA provided facilities. In as much as those facilities are shared with all launches and human spaceflight, that's their extent. It was also a training mission for NASA flight controllers, who have been learning the systems for years with ULA

But this was a ULA and Boeing launch. I worked with McDonald Douglas teams in Houston before the Boeing buyout. The MD guys were expensive, smart people. They didn't hide anything or take shortcuts. They were all business.

There is next to ZERO connection between Boeing Aircraft and Boeing Space systems at any level. Personal do not routinely transfer jobs between those places. They types of work is very different. Assumptions that an aircraft designer would make would be catastrophic for a space craft designer.

Until the capsule is back in Boeing facilities and taken apart, they won't know what happened. Prior to that, it is all guessing.

Manufacturing for spacecraft isn't like an assembly line. Each is a little different. Effectively, each one is a prototype vehicle. Each Space Shuttle was a little different too.

I'm just happy that 2 American companies are both moving towards having human spaceflight capabilities again, though I do wish that ULA wasn't using Russian designs for the rocket engines. BTW, the US went down a similar rocket design path decades ago, but decided the complexities couldn't be overcome. Hats off to the Russians for solving that and making reliable rockets with extreme T/W ratios. At University, we studied their design. Impressive.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I watched the NASA briefing live, and had two impressions:

NASA really has no idea what went wrong... that should not happen.

"but the signals did not get there and by then it was too late" NASA was asked about redundancy, and stated that they had this manual override option. Then stated that it did not work because the capsule was between two satellite zones, so did not receive the override command signals. An override that can't be used at any point during mission is not an override, it's a mistake.

The capsule had close to 300kg of 'mainly food' for ISS crew... no Christmas turkey this year!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Boeing’s new motto: “We get everything else right.”

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Maybe not simple, but it cant be more expensive then relaunching. That's a pretty penny.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

JuminRhee, the Starliner used more fuel than estimated to stabilise itself and get into orbit. Attaching thrusters to an orbiting spacecraft isn’t a simple thing.

If Boeing get the Starliner back safely, the mission can still be a success of sorts.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Instead of having to bring back, how about you attach some thrusters and cameras so you can adjust and remotely pilot to the ISS?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Let me guess the Starliner's clock was on Mumbai time, whilst the ISS was on Zulu time?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Boeing is not having a good time are they

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Public statements aside, it's hard to trust a company that engaged in a massive cover-up of their broken technology that killed hundreds of people and THEN tried to rush that technology back into use. So, yeah. sure. Boeing, great. They have a long road before they lose that association with corruption and failure.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

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