Trip, Trip, Rocket Ship

[Edgy MD]

I've been paying attention to the space program in anticipation of our scheduled return to the Moon, and possibly further in the near future, and was disappointed to see tonight's Boeing/NASA mission. Boeing's crewed flight test of Starliner, it's hopefully going to get Boeing something of a win and a past SpaceX as a favored NASA contractor, as their civilian commercial aeronautics division is feeling a lot of humiliation


It's an interesting throwback milestone mission, being the 100th Atlas V Launch, the first launch of humans on an Atlas V, the first launch of humans from Cape Canaveral SFS since Apollo 7 in October 1968, and first launch of humans on an Atlas vehicle since Gordon Cooper on Mercury-Atlas 9 on May 15, 1963.

Exciting stuff, literally returning to the old school, that hopefully won't be pushed back past tomorrow night. The crew of two was scheduled to spend a week at the International Space Station and do a ground landing on return.

All this is expected to lead to Artemis 3, scheduled to be, in September 2026, the first crewed moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

One thing NASA sure hasn't improved in the last 50+ years are their crew portraits.

[metirish]

I'm finding it hard to get excited for any of these missions, especially Boeing , years behind as it stands

[Edgy MD]

I dunno if they're years behind or the SpaceX and Vigin Galactic programs are right where they are, but while Boeing and NASA delay the launch when a red light comes on, the hotshot Musk and Branson guys just say "Fuck it" and blast off.

The Chinese are launching a mission seemingly every day and we're still looking at getting back to the moon before they touch down there, so yeah, I'm excited about that. Going to the moon with contemporary cameras and stuff is going to be pretty fun.

Mars in my lifetime, Baby!

[Edgy MD]

Starliner launch rescheduled for May 17 as they haul in the rocket to change a suspect valve.

I tried to convince them to let Chewbacca do it mid-flight, but alas.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm usually into this stuff but it's still a ways away as the eventual moon launch is projected but still not scheduled
so I'm not in full following mode yet. On the plus side it looks like they'll get back up there while there are still a
few of the previous moon visitors still alive. Until very recently I wasn't sure that was going to be the case.

[Edgy MD]

Crewed launch of the Starliner scrubbed again, this time three minutes and fifty seconds from ignition.

The computer triggered it, so nobody knows yet what the issue is.

Moon, moon, I hope to see you soon.

[MFS62]

Did Angel Hernandez have a job on the production line?

Later

[MFS62]

It launched this morning.
Later

[Edgy MD]

The Starliner test mission has been about as disappointing as can be without total mission failure and crew loss. After the launch went off following multiple delays, the crew was scheduled to make an eight-day visit to the International Space Station. Those eight days have been extended and extended to what may turn out to be eight months or more, as NASA can't reach a reliable level of confidence that they can get Starliner flightworthy for a trip home.

One current plan is to send Starliner home uncrewed, and come for the astronauts with the next SpaceX visit, a trip that's supposed to have a crew of four, but would have to be cut to two in order to bring home the Starliner crew.

I'm sure, somewhere in some department, things are going well for Boeing, but they sure are keeping their PR department busy.

[Edgy MD]

Starliner flies home safely without her crew.

Yaaayy!! (I think.) Boeing completes its mission but still loses NASA's faith.

Boeing has a lot to be embarrassed about, but I'm more embarrassed that an Elon Musk-founded company has become our primary space contractor.

[MFS62]

And the two astronauts who were left in space for four more months are saying ,'Shit! We coulda' made it".
Later

[whippoorwill]

You couldn’t get me on one of those if you paid me.

Too many memories of Rocket Man and space Man and Major Tom

[kcmets]

Major Tom?

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low

I don't feel bad for those two up there. My guess is they
do it like 4-5 time a day. Imagine the positions two could
dream up in total weightlessness!

[Benjamin Grimm]

You couldn’t get me on one of those if you paid me.

Too many memories of Rocket Man and space Man and Major Tom

Not to mention Christa McAuliffe.

[MFS62]

Major Tom?

Tommy had a rocket ship
in which he loved to frisk.
Wasn't he a foolish man,
his little * ?

Later

[whippoorwill]

Major Tom?

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low

I don't feel bad for those two up there. My guess is they
do it like 4-5 time a day. Imagine the positions two could
dream up in total weightlessness!

Lol you wondered that too? I wonder what their spouses think

[Fman99]

I wouldn't trust Elon Musk to deliver a fart after a baked bean dinner.

[MFS62]

Even though it returned intact, it still had problems:

The capsule didn't fare much better following undocking procedures on Friday. One of its 12 control jets on the crew module — a different set unrelated to the other malfunctioning service module thrusters — failed to ignite. And a glitch caused the spacecraft's navigation system to go down briefly during reentry as well.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/starliner ... turn-earth

Later