Boeing Starliner Capsule "Trapped in Space"?

[jimbo84]

We’ve got a good few months to knock up 8 billion ape costumes and pull off the best prank in history for when they get home.

 

[redlig]

Many are promoted one level further than their ability as every one wants to move them on out of their way....

Peter Principle I think it's called . Main method of promotion as use by Governments near you.

 

[Screwdriver]

Well it has successfully undocked and by tomorrow morning we'll know if they were at least able to bring it back safely.

 

[Ross365]

Yes, should be back about 5pm BST. I hope it makes it, and predicted it would back in post 107.

There's still very little detail about the valve problem, but some comments seem to suggest that one problem (there may be more) is a poppet made of PTFE which is deforming when hot. Well, the properties of PTFE are pretty well known, so maybe in this application, it's getting hotter than planned?

 

[Erie Fred]

Yes, should be back about 5pm BST. I hope it makes it, and predicted it would back in post 107.

There's still very little detail about the valve problem, but some comments seem to suggest that one problem (there may be more) is a poppet made of PTFE which is deforming when hot. Well, the properties of PTFE are pretty well known, so maybe in this application, it's getting hotter than planned?

They used pipe tape ?

 

[Greeves246]

Back in one piece

Boeing Starliner spacecraft lands back on Earth

The troubled spacecraft returns empty to New Mexico from the International Space Station.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Ross365]

Back in one piece

Boeing Starliner spacecraft lands back on Earth

The troubled spacecraft returns empty to New Mexico from the International Space Station.

www.bbc.co.uk

Yes, and that's good, but I think that all the faulty thrusters were on the service module section and that was jettisoned and burned up re-entering, so they won't get to examine those .

 

[Screwdriver]

Incredible footage from multiple sources:

Now the politics can start....

 

[GRW]

8-months in a weightless environment, in a tiny tin can - instead of 8-days.
Thar has to present the 2 astronauts with all sorts of physical & psychological difficulties.
I don't envy them one bit.

 

[8ob]

8-months in a weightless environment, in a tiny tin can - instead of 8-days.
Thar has to present the 2 astronauts with all sorts of physical & psychological difficulties.
I don't envy them one bit.

I do! Think of all the double time and working away money, slating the whole operating in person to the press will be worth a few quid.

Bob

 

[Erie Fred]

Incredible footage from multiple sources:

Now the politics can start....

....naw..... all will be forgiven with BoingBoing, all government contracts are being renewed.

 

[addjunkie]

....naw all will be forgiven with BoingBoing, all contracts are being renewed.

According to our press today, boeings contract is twice the value of Elons….makes you wonder…

 

[Seadog]

 

[Nomad]

Communications satellite Intelsat 33e (built by Boeing) has just failed and broken up in space https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/22/24277073/intelsat-33e-boeing-satellite-fell-apart-space

 

[Ross365]

I think that has to be the result of an impact with something. It will have had liquid propellants on board, but seems fairly unlikely (?) that they could cause a violent explosion. According to this https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/intelsat-33e.htm the main rocket engine on the spacecraft is a 'LEROS 1C', which are made in.... England , by the Norwegian company Namos.

 

[GRW]

Communications satellite Intelsat 33e (built by Boeing) has just failed and broken up in space https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/22/24277073/intelsat-33e-boeing-satellite-fell-apart-space

I just read that article & the comments afterwards.
Some wag stated a slogan for air passengers:

"If its Boeing I'm not going!"

Has corporate corner-cutting & putting (bigger) profit margins ahead of quality (at such a household name Corpration with a historical reputation for excellence)..... really made Boeing truly that bad today?

I've not flown since about 2017 I think, but it never crossed my mind before when booking a flight - to look into what plane the Company/Route flew - to check which brand/model aircraft it would be, and the record of that aircraft.
Do people really do that I wonder?
Do they really need to do that I wonder?

Am I the only one who increasingly is coming to the conclusion that, despite all the technological advances - that quality and reliability in much of everyday life's goods & services - has been on a downward trajectory since perhaps the 1990's?

 

[Morrisman]

I've not flown since about 2017 I think, but it never crossed my mind before when booking a flight - to look into what plane the Company/Route flew - to check which brand/model aircraft it would be, and the record of that aircraft.
Do people really do that I wonder?
Do they really need to do that I wonder?

Am I the only one who increasingly is coming to the conclusion that, despite all the technological advances - that quality and reliability in much of everyday life's goods & services - has been on a downward trajectory since perhaps the 1990's?

Same here, last flight was back to Blighty, December 2017, after life fell apart in the far east. I grew to hate flying after 24 years of doing 30+ long hauls a year.
The scariest plane I ever flew on was the Dreamliner, about 10 years ago, domestic flight in the US.

That plane bounced around in turbulence worse than any other plane I’ve been on, ever. They bragged it’s 30% lighter than any other plane its size. And it sure felt like it.

The hosties were up and down serving drinks and snacks, despite the turbulence. They should have been sat down and strapped in but they were obviously under orders to act like things were normal, you could tell by the strain in their faces. I didn’t have a drink as I didn’t fancy wearing it, the way we were being chucked about in the sky.

And I just realised the Dreamliner is a Boing creation……

 

[Misterg]

I think that has to be the result of an impact with something. It will have had liquid propellants on board, but seems fairly unlikely (?) that they could cause a violent explosion. According to this https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/intelsat-33e.htm the main rocket engine on the spacecraft is a 'LEROS 1C', which are made in.... England , by the Norwegian company Namos.

It was a problem with the main engine that delayed it getting to orbit after launch, but I don't think it will have been used after that.

Pretty sure that the current HS-702 satellites use xenon thrusters for routine adjustments ("station-keeping"), so there will be a large tank of pressurised xenon gas in it somewhere (as well as the pressurised tanks for the main engine propellant) - I guess it is possible that something damaged one of those tanks that then caused catastrophic failure. ('Anomalies' have been reported with excessive propellant consumption on this satellite, but I don't know the details.)

I can't help thinking that anything large enough to smash a 3.6 tonne satellite into 20+ pieces would have shown up on earth based tracking services - they can track stuff down to cricket ball sized, or smaller. (Stuff out there is usually moving extremely quickly and tends to punch straight through things, rather than exploding them.)

It will be interesting to find out what happened.

 

[500e]

Read a whistle blower is saying a satellite had a mishap in build and it was covered up

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-10-08/boeing-whistleblower-lawsuit-story

 

[Erie Fred]

I just read that article & the comments afterwards.
Some wag stated a slogan for air passengers:

"If its Boeing I'm not going!"

Has corporate corner-cutting & putting (bigger) profit margins ahead of quality (at such a household name Corpration with a historical reputation for excellence)..... really made Boeing truly that bad today?

I've not flown since about 2017 I think, but it never crossed my mind before when booking a flight - to look into what plane the Company/Route flew - to check which brand/model aircraft it would be, and the record of that aircraft.
Do people really do that I wonder?
Do they really need to do that I wonder?

Am I the only one who increasingly is coming to the conclusion that, despite all the technological advances - that quality and reliability in much of everyday life's goods & services - has been on a downward trajectory since perhaps the 1990's?

Yes, a travel talk show on the radio discussed this 6 months ago, you can pick your flight, and they were paying 10% or so extra to NOT be put on a 737 max plane.