Science

nitpicker

(7,153 posts) Sun Dec 22, 2019, 07:09 AM Dec 2019

'Not for the faint of heart:' Critical landing test ahead for Boeing Starliner

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-boeing/not-for-the-faint-of-heart-critical-landing-test-ahead-for-boeing-starliner-idUKKBN1YQ03X

December 22, 2019 / 1:05 AM / Updated 5 hours ago

'Not for the faint of heart:' Critical landing test ahead for Boeing Starliner

Joey Roulette

(Reuters) - The Boeing Co Starliner spacecraft that failed in its mission to reach the International Space Station was due to barrel down to the Earth’s surface early on Sunday with the daunting task of landing safely.

Boeing (BA.N) and NASA officials said they still do not understand why software caused the unmanned craft to miss the orbit required to rendezvous with the space station following its successful launch on Friday.

All efforts were now focused on ensuring the Starliner touched down in White Sands, New Mexico, without any problems.
(snip)

In one of Boeing’s most complex and crucial safety demonstrations required by NASA to eventually fly humans, the capsule will fire a suite of thrusters and later deploy three parachutes to slow down its violent descent from 25 times the speed of sound entering the atmosphere to land harmlessly on the white sands of New Mexico.

Boeing said the Starliner’s first window to land would be at 5:57 a.m. Mountain time (7:57 a.m. ET; 1257 GMT).
(snip)

5 replies

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Highlight:

'Not for the faint of heart:' Critical landing test ahead for Boeing Starliner (Original Post) nitpicker Dec 2019 OP

Boeing has a lot of problems with software.... Historic NY Dec 2019 #1

It might be a good thing if Boeing fired all the software engineers who have worked on the 737 abqtommy Dec 2019 #4

Maybe they forgot about daylight savings time? Canoe52 Dec 2019 #5

NASA Live Stream: Dennis Donovan Dec 2019 #2

Jebus - 25 times the speed of sound? Updated at your link .... marble falls Dec 2019 #3

Historic NY

(37,451 posts)

1. Boeing has a lot of problems with software....

Reply to nitpicker (Original post)

Sun Dec 22, 2019, 07:41 AM

Dec 2019

abqtommy

(14,118 posts)

4. It might be a good thing if Boeing fired all the software engineers who have worked on the 737

Reply to Historic NY (Reply #1)

Sun Dec 22, 2019, 11:26 AM

Dec 2019

project. Or at least don't let them work on anything else!

Canoe52

(2,948 posts)

5. Maybe they forgot about daylight savings time?

Reply to abqtommy (Reply #4)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 07:10 AM

Dec 2019

Dennis Donovan

(18,770 posts)

2. NASA Live Stream:

Reply to nitpicker (Original post)

Sun Dec 22, 2019, 07:50 AM

Dec 2019

marble falls

(57,112 posts)

3. Jebus - 25 times the speed of sound? Updated at your link ....

Reply to nitpicker (Original post)

Sun Dec 22, 2019, 11:05 AM

Dec 2019

The landing at 7:58 a.m. ET (1258 GMT) in the White Sands desert capped a turbulent 48 hours for Boeing’s botched milestone test of an astronaut capsule that is designed to help NASA regain its human spaceflight capabilities.

“We hit the bull’s-eye,” a Boeing spokesman said on a livestream of the landing.

The landing will yield the mission’s most valuable test data after failing to meet its core objective of docking to the space station.

After Starliner’s touchdown, teams of engineers in trucks raced to inspect the vehicle, whose six airbags cushioned its impact on the desert surface as planned, a live video feed showed.

The spacecraft was in an apparently stable condition after landing, according to images posted by officials from the U.S. space agency NASA.

The CST-100 Starliner’s debut launch to orbit was a milestone test for Boeing. The company is vying with SpaceX, the privately held rocket company of billionaire high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, to revive NASA’s human spaceflight capabilities. SpaceX carried out a successful unmanned flight of its Crew Dragon capsule to the space station in March.

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