Stranded Starliner astronauts are finally coming home... next year

[Cal Jeffrey]

Bottom line: Whether Boeing fixes Starliner tomorrow or the crew hitches a ride with SpaceX next year, they will surely be grateful to have their feet back on solid ground. An eight-month ISS stay was not on the calendar, and they are undoubtedly missing their friends, family, and home-cooked meals.

In a Wednesday press conference, NASA said it has a contingency plan to bring Starliner pilots Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams home. Unfortunately, the plan is for them to hitch a ride on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, which NASA postponed until next February because of the incapacitated Boeing spacecraft.

The astronauts are currently calling ISS home while Boeing tries to figure out how to get its vessel operational again. Engineers may fix the ship's problems before the delayed rescue, but those hopes dwindle with each passing day. The Starliner crew has been stranded for almost two months on what Boeing promoted as an eight-day mission, but its actual timeframe was one to two weeks.

Listen to all of NASA's contingency plans for Starliner.

Boeing has repeatedly denied that the astronauts are stranded, saying that they knew there was a possibility that the mission could last longer. However, the company's argument relies on contingencies, semantics, and PR spin. The astronauts completed the mission within the initial timeframe, but complications with the Boeing Starliner prevented the crew from returning home. That's the dictionary definition of being stranded.

"Stranded - adjective. Left without the means to move from somewhere."

In hindsight, the mission probably should have been indefinitely scrubbed while Boeing thoroughly worked out the kinks. Boeing was in a race with SpaceX to get it launched and lost that contest, so there was no good reason to continue rushing to complete a flight. Furthermore, the mission was delayed multiple times over several years due to various issues with the craft. It got to the point where it was questionable if Starliner would ever leave the ground.

One of the three Starliner capsules was retired following a failed test, as engineers could not identify the cause of the malfunction. Then, in June 2023, the remaining two capsules were indefinitely grounded due to the discovery of two significant safety concerns: the tethers connecting the parachutes were found to be insufficient to support the craft's fullweight, and hundreds of feet of flammable tape had been used to insulate the wiring inside the capsule.

Boeing's spin is not excusable but is understandable. The company's public image has been shaky recently after several mishaps and "technical glitches" with its 737 Max. The jumbo jet was involved in two preventable incidents – the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 – that together killed 346 passengers and crew. Regulators investigating the Ethiopian Airlines event found Boeing had withheld "essential safety features," offering them as optional add-ons instead.

Even though those accidents were over five years past, the company is still struggling to recover from an image of incompetent internal management. The Starliner fiasco is not helping that effort, and multiple management shakeups have seen senior executives step down, including CEO Dave Calhoun, who will 'retire' at the end of the year.

Permalink to story:

Stranded Starliner astronauts are finally coming home... next year

 

[Kotters]

There was a "good" reason. If they keep delaying, there's a very real possibility that the ISS will be deorbited before they can fulfill the complete contract for flights to the ISS. That means less income, and the project is already a net loss for Boeing.

 

[Art C]

Just another day in the world of Boeing DEI hires messing up everything they touch.

 

[RudyBob]

Just another day in the world of Boeing DEI hires messing up everything they touch.

You could be right. On what do you base your statement though?

 

[RudyBob]

This is not good all the way around. In the 60's they would have been home by now

 

[seeprime]

I love the Starliver typo. Seems fitting.

 

[Jim Lahey]

This is not good all the way around. In the 60's they would have been home by now

I suspect that in the ‘60’s public outcry would have been substantial and there would be significant political capital to make this happen.

I’m surprised that this is the first I’ve even heard of the mission, and there seems to be very little care about 2 astronauts who were supposed to be in space for a week or two being caged up for 8 months!?

 

[Day Wreaker]

Huh, I always wandered who was the seller of the rocket engine system that Danny Devito's character from movie TW!NS had in the trunk of that stolen Cadillac? Yep, that's right we're all thinking the same thing, it"s BOEING.
Are we supposed to believe that a BOEING-Whistleblower, actually committed suicide while he was two days into giving his testimony of an expected week long investigative interview?
Thankfully the average age of most aircraft flying over us is currently about 35 yeara old. Since there was still the manufacturing of aircraft & aerospace parts made with high quality metals being machined & x-rayed to assure the high-bar on quality control was met.
No one ever looks up anymore. But eventually the Lack of quality with manufacturing will catch up with everyone, then we shouldn't be surprised when big things start falling from our skies more & more often.
A part of me will die inside myself when I watch the ISS finally fall from the sky. A part should die inside all of us if the ISS falls with Sunita & Barry still inside. I'm thinking that Elon will save the day. My best advice for you two is simply make love & not war. I find it healthy, to pound out those frustrations with a good workout.

Think happy thoughts...

 

[toooooot]

Do not risk human lives using this thing for returning people home in it.
Do this:
1. Return astronauts using either spacx or Russian ship.
2. Give Being last chance, in which they will return their ship home safely . If they cant, they wont get any jobs for a long time with NASA.

 

[toooooot]

Just another day in the world of Boeing DEI hires messing up everything they touch.

As much as I despise the thing and destructive culture that brought it upon us,
Boeing greed was there first. While they were still great, they started neglecting
quality trying to squeeze as much money as possible, sacrificing everything
including safety. DEI, virtue signaling came far later as a desperate attempt to
shield themselves from fair criticism.

 

[RudyBob]

...this is the first I’ve even heard of the mission,

Me too

 

[p51d007]

This is not good all the way around. In the 60's they would have been home by now

That's because in the 60's, NASA was run by ROCKET MEN. Now, they are run by politicians, and DEI hires.
Heck it probably takes 3-4 meetings, just to figure out what stationary they will use.

 

[RudyBob]

...including safety. DEI, virtue signaling came far later as a desperate attempt to
shield themselves from fair criticism.

I tend to believe this because it has happened so often. I would like still to know how can someone confidently say DEI was to blame. I am anti-DEI but without more data I won't label this failure on that.

 

[Puiu]

Do not risk human lives using this thing for returning people home in it.
Do this:
1. Return astronauts using either spacx or Russian ship.
2. Give Being last chance, in which they will return their ship home safely . If they cant, they wont get any jobs for a long time with NASA.

I agree, the return ship is simply compromised at this point.

 

[mbk34]

I'm trying to imagine what they would look like after 8 months together in a capsule. I tend to revert to my simian roots if I'm left by myself for a weekend.

 

[VitalyT]

I'm trying to imagine what they would look like after 8 months together in a capsule. I tend to revert to my simian roots if I'm left by myself for a weekend.

They may merge on cellular level by then. They are gonna need physical a mental treatment at least for a year after.

P.S. A short trip, they said, it'll be fun, they said... End up in NASA House of Pain.

 

[Endymio]

Do not risk human lives using this thing for returning people home in it.
Do this:
1. Return astronauts using either spacx or Russian ship.
2. Give Being last chance, in which they will return their ship home safely . If they cant, they wont get any jobs for a long time with NASA.

Successful mission or no, the fact remains that Boeing is charging NASA more than twice as much as SpaceX per seat on each manned flight:

"...NASA will spend $183 million for each seat on board a Boeing Starliner across all planned missions, while it pays SpaceX just $88 million per seat...."

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-boeing-spacex-astronaut-cost

 

[kira setsu]

Movie studios are gonna be all over this one!

 

[erickmendes]

One year locked on a broke space capsule... I would rather be on prison, that one year will look like an eternity for them...

 

[wiyosaya]

Ah, the DEI Dog whistle blown so many times by people who have no evidence the issue is even remotely related to DEI. In fact, a white male "ROCKET MAN" has taken the fall for Boeing's issues. To me, that blows the DEI argument out of the water.

"What you don't know, you invent." Delenn - Babylon 5 episode "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/The_Deconstruction_of_Falling_Stars

@RudyBob - I applaud you for not buying into the "Its a DEI" issue without proof.

One year locked on a broke space capsule... I would rather be on prison, that one year will look like an eternity for them...

I'm sure NASA will find a way to keep them busy. These are, after all, highly trained astronauts capable of doing more than sitting on their collective rear ends.

Successful mission or no, the fact remains that Boeing is charging NASA more than twice as much as SpaceX per seat on each manned flight:

"...NASA will spend $183 million for each seat on board a Boeing Starliner across all planned missions, while it pays SpaceX just $88 million per seat...."

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-boeing-spacex-astronaut-cost

IMO, the wisdom of putting all NASA's eggs in one basket, by giving SpaceX all NASA's business, would be questionable even without all the eggs in the basket of Starship for future moon missions - noting that Starship has yet to successfully complete a full-flight without catastrophic failure. Even the "reliable" Falcon Heavy still has its problems. Yes, Boeing has its problems, but so does SpaceX regardless of how many people worship Musk and imbue him with perceived Godhood.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

I love the Starliver typo. Seems fitting.

Whtever are you talking abot, good sir? I dont make tupos.

 

[NotQuiteSapien]

Do not risk human lives using this thing for returning people home in it.
Do this:
1. Return astronauts using either spacx or Russian ship.
2. Give Being last chance, in which they will return their ship home safely . If they cant, they wont get any jobs for a long time with NASA.

Unfortunately, this option is complicated by Boeing not including the software for automated undocking and re-entry on the Starliner, as reported by Ars Technica.

 

[mbk34]

Movie studios are gonna be all over this one!

It certainly won't make much of a murder mystery.

 

[Endymio]

noting that Starship has yet to successfully complete a full-flight without catastrophic failure.

How are you so reliably wrong? Starship's test flights 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 were all successes. Furthermore, Starship is still a test prototype, under development -- SpaceX has never allowed it to carry a payload yet, much less humans. If you're talking about full-orbit integrated test flights, you're correct -- but then, Starship has only attempted one of those so far.

SpaceX's actual production rockets, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy have the best record in the launch business, private or government, and SpaceX is reliably launching up to three times per week, when NASA was lucky was perform three launches per year.

 

[Endymio]

@RudyBob - I applaud you for not buying into the "Its a DEI" issue without proof.

In the news just today:

"NASA Inspector General gives damning assessment of Boeing's quality control...
the agency's Space Launch System — the part Boeing is responsible for — is significantly over budget. It blew through an original estimate of $962 million in 2017, and the projected price tag for the work through 2025 is now $2.8 billion. The project is also years behind schedule...

“Quality control issues are largely due to the lack of a sufficient number of trained and experienced aerospace workers at Boeing,” the report said.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots when Boeing's sudden lack of trained and experienced workers coincides with it establishing a DEI push that values the "diversity" of a worker and the "inclusion and equity" of hiring them as much or more than they do the worker's actual competence.