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2024-06-24 Science & Technology

Astronauts Stranded in Space as Boeing Starliner Faces Multiple Issues

[Breitbart] NASA astronauts have been left stranded in space as the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that they traveled to orbit on is facing several issues.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are currently stuck aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after engineers discovered the Starliner was experiencing five thruster malfunctions and five helium leaks, according to Live Science. The astronauts were initially slated to return to Earth on June 13, however, NASA said on June 18, that they were shooting for a June 26 return date.

“We’ve learned that our helium system is not performing as designed,” Mark Nappi, the program manager for Boeing’s Starliner said. “Albeit manageable, it’s still not working like we designed it. So we’ve got to go figure that out.”

The issues with the Starliner were reportedly discovered by engineers during the 25-hour flight after the spacecraft had taken off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida this month.

Posted by Skidmark 2024-06-24 08:37|| || Front Page|| [11151 views ] Top

#1 ...It's hard to avoid the thought that NASA is getting ready to announce the worst: that StarLiner is not safe for the astronauts to return to Earth.

The good news: they're safe at the ISS, and Space X can get up there to get them. It'll be a 6 or 7 rescue on the summer blockbuster movie epic scale, all the more so if Space-X plays it right. The bad news: NASA will be embarrassed beyond words, and Boeing may well be out of the spaceship business.

But in the meantime, if they're stuck up there in Earth orbit and unable to return for a while, let's send them cheesy movies - the worst we can find. ;)

Mike

Posted by MikeKozlowski 2024-06-24 12:45|| 2024-06-24 12:45|| Front Page Top

#2 We live in the age of SF (except no SF writer predicted that we'll let a Globalist/Islamist/Tribalist alliance rule the World)

Posted by Grom the Reflective 2024-06-24 13:26|| 2024-06-24 13:26|| Front Page Top

#3 Robot roll call!

Posted by Pearl Hapsburg1419 2024-06-24 15:28|| 2024-06-24 15:28|| Front Page Top

#4 Boeing with never get out of the spacecraft business. They get those wonderful barrels of govt money, and don't have to deliver anything useful, except jobs in selected congressional districts. And PR points.
Why would they stop?

Posted by ed in texas 2024-06-24 15:31|| 2024-06-24 15:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Well, Boeing will mend itself or it won't. If it doesn't, it certainly won't be around forever.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-06-24 15:35|| 2024-06-24 15:35|| Front Page Top

#6 Boeing needs to rid itself of a leadership chain that is all CFO driven. Aviation is a safety business and profit center second. Once you weigh profit against safety, risk becomes a different animal. Boeing now takes all the risks their share holders can afford...

Posted by 49 Pan 2024-06-24 16:26|| 2024-06-24 16:26|| Front Page Top

#7 Just as a moron could have seen more middlemen would not make health-care cheaper, the guy who graduated last in his aeronautical engineering program could have told you anything that had nothing to do with aeronautical engineering had no business being added to the process of building aircraft.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-06-24 16:47|| 2024-06-24 16:47|| Front Page Top

#8 And, while Boeing has definitely earned every mote of skepticism people have about their current operations, is it really necessary to root for American austronauts lives to be at risk or for an American spacecraft to fail?

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-06-24 17:50|| 2024-06-24 17:50|| Front Page Top

#9 Ah, yes, the classic astronauts stranded in space movie. We seen this! Only this time, the plot twist is WWIII breaks out at home while they are stuck on the space station.

Posted by SteveS 2024-06-24 22:27|| 2024-06-24 22:27|| Front Page Top

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