posted 06-04-2024 08:03 PM               

Launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 5 (1452 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

posted 06-05-2024 06:52 PM               

Boeing's Brandon Burroughs provided a summary of the situation on NASA TV:

Prior to launch, our team was monitoring a small leak on Starliner's propulsion system. Teams took a closer look at that system before the crew went to sleep. ... They closed all of the helium manifold vavles to collect data on that system and observed two more small leaks, one of those leaks being in port two, one being in port one and one being in top one.

So just to recap and give a little more detail as to what type of helium leak we were tracking prior to launch, and that being in the location of port two. After testing all eight of Starliner's, helium manifolds, we found the leak was isolated to one flange in the spacecraft's 28 RCS thrusters, or reaction control system thrusters, which are used to make small adjustments while on orbit. Even more specifically, [the leak] was on a seal that was very tiny in size, about by the size of the button on a man's dress shirt.

Overnight, we're going to keep the top one and port one closed, and they will open port two. That will give the teams the ability to manage the spacecraft.

We do have confirmation from our engineering support teammates at Boeing that the helium system remains safe for flight. This was not unexpected, and we plan for cases like this. The team will be working to make sure that we're in a good configuration to complete our mission, which is rendezvous and docking with the ISS.

posted 06-06-2024 08:51 AM               

Watch live as a crewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft docks to the International Space Station for the first time. Starliner will dock to the forward-facing port of the station's Harmony module.

posted 06-06-2024 03:59 PM               

The tie was actually presented to him by Butch. He [Fincke] is the backup crew member for Butch and Suni. There is a tradition, as I understand it, in the flight test community where you wear bright orange associated with flight test.

That particular tie is signed by Butch and Suni.

posted 06-08-2024 07:44 AM               

Live from the International Space Station: Watch a tour of the Boeing Starliner with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the spacecraft's first crew to fly on the spacecraft.

posted 06-10-2024 08:49 PM               

NASA issued an update today on the helium leaks and RCS thruster issues:

One of Starliner’s aft-facing reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, capable of about 85 pounds of thrust, remains de-selected as teams continue to evaluate its performance. Ground teams plan to fire all 28 RCS thrusters after undocking to collect additional data signatures on the service module thrusters before the hardware is expended. As part of normal operations, the service module separates from crew module on return, so NASA and Boeing will gather as much data as possible to aid in system assessments.

Teams currently are assessing what impacts, if any, five small leaks in the service module helium manifolds would have on the remainder of the mission. Engineers evaluated the helium supply based on current leak rates and determined that Starliner has plenty of margin to support the return trip from station. Only seven hours of free-flight time is needed to perform a normal end of mission, and Starliner currently has enough helium left in its tanks to support 70 hours of free flight activity following undocking. While Starliner is docked, all the manifolds are closed per normal mission operations preventing helium loss from the tanks.

Engineers also are evaluating an RCS oxidizer isolation valve in the service module that is not properly closed. Ground teams performed a successful propulsion system valve checkout on Sunday. All other oxidizer and fuel valves within the service module were cycled normally. The suspect oxidizer isolation valve was not cycled in the recent checkout. It will remain commanded closed for the remainder of the mission while ground teams continue to evaluate its data signatures. The crew module propulsion valves, which are part of an independent system that steers the capsule in the last phase of flight before landing, also were successfully cycled, and all those valves are performing as designed.

Mission managers are continuing to work through the return plan, which includes assessments of flight rationale, fault tolerance, and potential operational mitigations for the remainder of the flight.

posted 06-11-2024 11:10 AM               

In other news, Suni Williams posted on X today:

Best week ever! So happy to be back in space and on the International Space Station (ISS). The ride was amazing, and being here with friends is just awesome. Incredible to see three different human-rated spacecraft docked to the ISS. Great to be part of all that!

posted 06-14-2024 10:10 AM               

"We have an incredible opportunity to spend more time at station and perform more tests which provides invaluable data unique to our position," said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing.

posted 06-14-2024 02:25 PM               

Seeing both SpaceX and Boeing at the ISS is amazing!

Also, glad to see the mission get extended to perform more tests and operations.

Yes, this is a test flight and maybe the flight could be extended to a month long mission to gather more information and data for the following Starliner flights? At one point there was talk of Starliner being at the ISS for six months on its first test flight with astronauts Ferguson, Boe and Mann. I will have to dig through my box of notes to find the exact date. I think it was in 2019 or 2020?

posted 06-15-2024 06:50 PM               

We have been looking at aurora out the cupola windows a lot lately. Starliner was doing some testing today so we decided to check it out from the Dragon windows. Timing was great for the aurora to line up nicely with Starliner's service module thrusters.

posted 06-22-2024 11:46 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
...which tends to make the Playa "squishy".

---

posted 06-28-2024 12:17 PM               

As such, no date has been set yet for the Starliner's return from the space station.

At the same time, NASA and Boeing stressed that headlines suggesting Starliner is "stuck" or "stranded" at the station are incorrect. If an emergency arises or if the program decides differently than they are thinking now, Starliner is cleared to come home.

posted 07-10-2024 06:47 AM               

Hear from NASA's Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, live from the International Space Station.

The Earth to space news conference will begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Wednesday (July 10).

posted 07-17-2024 10:04 AM               

At this point, Starliner is safe to bring the crew home, nominally or in an emergency, so if nothing about the ship's status changed and the crew was removed (for some reason that I can't imagine), there would be no reason not to land the ship autonomously, as it has been designed to do and has done twice before (once with this very same vehicle).

posted 07-20-2024 05:52 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...For this mission, Starliner is limited to spending 45 days docked to the space station.

---

posted 07-25-2024 11:52 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Headshot:
I am sure Boeing will eventually explain it all to us.

---

We understand now much better the integrated effect between how the guidance navigation control system, the flight control system during rendezvous, is commanding the thrusters to fire, and then what the result of those thruster firings are with the thrusters being in these doghouses.

The doghouse has a lot of insulation on it. It's designed to protect the thrusters from cold temperatures while we're docked. But I think we're now seeing an integrated effect that we maybe didn't uncover on the ground during some of the early testing with Starliner, that if you command too many pulses on a thruster, and have those thrusters point at the sun, like we did for the eight hours that the crew was asleep, and have some OMAC [orbital maneuvering and attitude control] firings that we can have some cross talk in the thermal and have the temperatures increase, and so that's where we see the thruster degradation.

posted 07-27-2024 07:04 AM               

As far as I know doghouse means just two things to me:

1. a kennel - where a dog lives.
   
2. a state of abject misery brought on by inappropriate lifestyle choices, mainly by men in the 1950's... i.e "he's in the doghouse (cartoon showing hungover man with wife berating him)."