Boeing Starliner
Discussion
Delay of first flight to NET August 2019 now confirmed, though oddly NASA are trying to blame ULA when it is clear from info in the article that it's the spacecraft which isn't ready :/
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/04/curious-mo...
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/04/curious-mo...
Flooble said:
Is that the one that was supposed to launch about the same time as the Crew Dragon, or am I getting confused?
Yes - both Crew Dragon and Starliner are being developed under contract to NASA for commercial crew launch services. Just don't mention that Boeing have been paid roughly twice as much as SpaceX for the same service, yet are running late...
Rescue team members using a Boeing CST-100 Starliner training capsule, known as Boiler Plate 3, to practice uprighting procedures in the unlikely event of an emergency resulting in a splashdown. NASA and the Department of Defense Human Space Flight Support Office Rescue Division conducted a search and rescue training exercise at the Army Wharf at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 16/17, 2019. The manual uprighting airbags could be used to lift the spacecraft to its upright position. This is the first at-sea exercise with the Starliner training capsule ahead of Boeing’s Crew Flight Test with astronauts targeted for later this year. During normal return scenarios, Boeing's Starliner will land on land in a safe zone of about 15 square miles in the Western United States. Throughout the commercial crew development phases with NASA, Boeing has performed dozens of qualification tests on its parachute and airbag systems simulating conditions on land and in the water.
Toaster said:
Eric Mc said:
At least it didn't sink - like the Apollo Command Module did on one of its early dunking tests.
But its not Apollo maybe that needs to be in the history thread, this is Orion..maybe lessons were learnt
Unmanned test flight now expected to take place in October
https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/26/boeing-space...
https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/26/boeing-space...
Now slipped to Dec 17th
https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/09/boeing-revea...
The test flight will follow the pad abort test on Nov 4th
https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/09/boeing-revea...
The test flight will follow the pad abort test on Nov 4th
Edited by MartG on Thursday 10th October 20:11
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 21, 2019. Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Early iterations of the Apollo design lacked docking capability, as at the time it was expected the direct ascent mission mode would be used for Lunar missions. At one point it was even envisaged as being a 2 seater
http://www.astronautix.com/a/apolloa.html
http://www.astronautix.com/a/apolloa.html
Edited by MartG on Sunday 8th December 00:28
Eric Mc said:
Interesting video. I hadn't realised that the booster only placed the spaceship on a sub-orbital trajectory and that it would be the engines on the Starliner itself that would place the capsule into "proper" orbit. That's similar to the technique used by the Space Shuttle.
The Space Shuttles Solid Rocket Boosters and Main Engines placed the Orbiter in a sub-orbital trajectory and then the Orbiter used its Orbital Manoeuvering System engines to achieve a genuine orbit.
Quite common, to avoid having spent upper stages left in orbit. The Space Shuttles Solid Rocket Boosters and Main Engines placed the Orbiter in a sub-orbital trajectory and then the Orbiter used its Orbital Manoeuvering System engines to achieve a genuine orbit.
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