I'm watching the Starliner debacle with interest. Here we have another flawed Boeing product, now seemingly stuck attached to the International Space Station with several Helium leaks and NASA seemingly unable to come up with a plan of what to do with it and more importantly what to do with it's Astronaut Crew.
Sunita "Suni" Williams (58) and Barry "Butch" Wilmore (61) are currently stranded on the International Space Station awaiting a decision from NASA as to how they return to Earth.
You'd think it would be straightforward: hop in the Boeing Starliner and return to Earth.
But it isn't that simple. The Starliner has been plagued with problems on previous missions to the ISS, the first failing to get there after a software error. The second mission just about got to the ISS by the skin of it's teeth. There were issues with thrusters failing to operate.
Now on it's third mission, there are reported to be leaks of Helium from the Spacecraft. I say leaks because so far at least five separate leaks have been detected as reported in the press.
Helium is important because it is used to pressurise the spacecraft's propulsion system. Without it the craft's thrusters don't work. Without thrusters it can't manoeuvre to orient itself for re-entry. Without the ability to orient itself correctly the spacecraft burns up on re-entry along with it's crew.
NASA I assume are now calculating the risk of releasing the craft from the ISS and whether the Helium will run out before it can do it's important manoeuvres and safely return the craft and crew to Earth.
I also assume that to mitigate Helium loss, NASA are calculating a new, shorter return trajectory in order to reduce the return time.
It's now a numbers game as to whether NASA take the risk or call it quits and returns the craft to Earth without a crew, or they pu8t meatbags aboard the flawed capsule and pray.
I suspect there is a real argument within NASA now between the risk-averse safety guys and the face saving PR departments of NASA and Boeing.
Let's be honest, PR should not win. Safety should always be a priority.
But here's the rub: is the age of the crew a factor here? First off, they are older people, possibly because there are no younger Astronauts? Or is this another ageist thing where the older Astronauts are expendable?
Either way, if it's taken over a week to come to a conclusion, I think the battle within NASA is too close to call and safety should win out. Leave the Astronauts on the ISS, get SpaceX to bring them back and let the Starliner come home in Autonomous mode.
If it makes it back, Boeing's PR can make a fuss about how robust their spacecraft is and NASA are pussies for not trusting it.
Either way NASA can say they erred on the side of caution.
If it burns up NASA can say they did the right thing and saved two lives.
But come on guys, make a decision and make the right (only) one.
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