This is a harrowing tale of all the things that went wrong when Boeing's Starliner was docking at the International Space Station. It is an amazing tale of fortitude in alarming circumstances and immense skil on the ground and in the vehicle itself.
#starliner
Quite the read about Starliner's maiden trip to the #iss
Holy hell! The docking of #Starliner with the ISS was WAY WORSE than we were let on until now! Looks like a near disaster - not on the Apollo 13 scale, but definitely not something any astronaut would want to face! Butch apparently had to take manual control of the stricken spacecraft. So, good to have you both back on Earth, Butch and Suni!!?
Turns out that many details about the #Starliner troubles before docking to the ISS last year 'revealed' in the much-cited article "Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought" - https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/the-harrowing-story-of-what-flying-starliner-was-like-when-its-thrusters-failed/ - had been discussed already at a press conference last June: https://x.com/KenKirtland17/status/1907236959417999769 - only how dangerous the situation for the astronauts actually was may not have been conveyed properly back then.
Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought.
@ArsTechnica interviews NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams about the dicey docking: https://flip.it/ULXi0A
a good write up on the #starliner and its trip to our #spaceStation.
We need more honest reporting like this.
#democracy is more than voting!
Der #Starliner-Testflug im Juni 2024 war dramatischer als gedacht: Vier ausgefallene Steuerdüsen brachten die Astronauten in Gefahr. Neue Interviews enthüllen die spannenden Details der Mission. https://winfuture.de/news,150031.html?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=ManualStatus&utm_campaign=SocialMedia
I'm constantly amazed by test pilots and how much they put on the line. They were a hair away from not getting home, and NASA being in front of Congress for years.
Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought | Arstechnica
"Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought" by @arstechnica / @sciguyspace - Eric Berger interviewed Butch Wilmore about what it was like piloting #Boeing #Starliner, including during thruster malfunctions at station docking when it wouldn't go where he wanted it. He didn't know if a safe abort and de-orbit was possible either. They safely docked. The problem was due overheating tightly-packed thruster pods. https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/the-harrowing-story-of-what-flying-starliner-was-like-when-its-thrusters-failed/ #NASA #space #StarlinerCFT
WOW! What a great read. The #astronauts from the #Starliner tell us what the flight to the ISS was like.
Gestrandete ISS-Astronauten: "Das Leben geht nicht immer geradeaus"
Acht Tage lang sollten sie ins All fliegen, neun Monate sind es geworden. Sunita Williams und Butch Wilmore sind vor zwei Wochen auf die Erde zurückgekehrt, nun haben die Astronauten ihr erstes Interview gegeben. Von S. Jackisch.
"Boeing's next Starliner launch for NASA could slip to early 2026 after fixes" by @Spacecom - Contrary to pundit estimates, #Boeing #Starliner's next flight test is apparently not "never again". But they don't have a date yet. Repairs to thruster and helium leak issues are in work. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/boeings-next-starliner-launch-for-nasa-could-slip-to-early-2026-after-fixes #NASA #space
NASA hält trotz Pannen an Boeings #Starliner fest. Kosten: über 2 Milliarden Dollar. Wird sich die Investition lohnen oder dominiert SpaceX weiterhin den kommerziellen Raumtransport? https://winfuture.de/news,149828.html?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=ManualStatus&utm_campaign=SocialMedia
Hackaday Links: March 23, 2025 - What a long, strange trip it’s been for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Bruce Wi... - https://hackaday.com/2025/03/23/hackaday-links-march-23-2025/ #hackadaycolumns #retrocomputing #hackadaylinks #astronauts #chatgpt-4o #starliner #chatbot #surplus #vivaldi #dragon #atari #meme #nasa #esa #iss #llm
The next flight of #Starliner will likely be #uncrewed so they can test the changes made after the spacecraft’s inaugural venture https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/18/science/spacex-crew-9-astronauts-space/index.html
#NASA will need to conduct testing to ensure future missions do not suffer the same issues. #Boeing developed a thermal system that engineers are using to test Starliner’s doghouses, which contain its thrusters.
“We’ll add some tape and thermal barriers in different places” https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/whats-next-for-boeing-starliner
"Dolphins surround space capsule after its return to Earth in magical moment" by @GlobalNews - Drone video shows curious dolphins swimming around #SpaceX #CrewDragon Freedom after splashdown. Since #Starliner test pilot astronauts Wilmore & Williams retired from the US Navy each at the rank of Captain (equiv of Colonel in Army/Air Force ranks), it seems fitting about dolphins showing up as the beginning of their welcome party. https://globalnews.ca/news/11088250/dolphins-nasa-space-capsule-return-to-earth/ #NASA #Crew9 #space
[06:20] NASA astronauts return to Earth after drawn-out mission
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth in a SpaceX capsule with a soft splashdown off Florida's coast, nine months after their faulty Boeing Starliner craft upended what was to be a week-long stay on the International Space Station.
https://www.rte.ie/news/us/2025/0319/1502802-spacex-iss/
#NASA #ButchWilmore #SuniWilliams #Earth #Florida #ninemonths #Boeing #Starliner #theInternationalSpaceStation
As #Starliner test pilot astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams return home to Houston after #Crew9 splashdown, they'll get a lot of attention. Hopefully also plenty of private time with their families. Space geeks should watch for news in upcoming months: all test pilots on first flight of a new spacecraft have eventually been admitted to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. With their mission completed, this big feather in their caps is probably coming. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Astronaut_Hall_of_Fame #NASA #space
As a reminder, in September I wrote an op-ed article for @AirlineReporter which explained #Starliner test pilot astronauts Wilmore and Williams were not "stranded" like airline passengers stuck in an unfamiliar terminal. It was a significant schedule change. But they're senior astronauts. Both retired from the US Navy at the rank of Captain. All ISS crew astronauts make contingency plans for longer stays on orbit. They knew how to work as space station crew. https://spacey.space/@AstroHawk/113079672536029751 #NASA #Crew9
