August 5, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
Because posting is so difficult at the resort where I am staying, and I have many other things planned for the day, I am posting Jay’s links early.
- FCC Approves AST SpaceMobile launch of first commercial satellites
Each will have the largest-ever communications array ever deployed commercially in low Earth orbit
- Europe’s autonomous orbital laboratory Space Rider undergoes helicopter drop tests
ESA hopes this spacecraft will be its own version of an X-37B
- Cygnus unmanned freighter misses its first burn, and aborts the rescheduled burn
Though NASA says it is still targeting an on scheduled docking to ISS, it is entirely unclear if this will happen.
- Rumors suggest NASA to significantly delay the launch of next crewed Dragion to ISS due to Starliner issues
The reason is that Starliner needs its flight software updated and this will take four weeks. Until Starliner undocks, there is no port for the Dragon to arrive.
I will leave it to my readers to comment on what this new stupidity tells us about Boeing. This flight software worked as planned on the second unmanned demo mission. Why should suddenly need an update while two humans are already in space and relying on it? Furthermore, Boeing had numerous flight software problems on the first unmanned demo mission, and supposedly fixed them for the second.
Posting will continue to be light until tomorrow night.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
Because posting is so difficult at the resort where I am staying, and I have many other things planned for the day, I am posting Jay’s links early.
- FCC Approves AST SpaceMobile launch of first commercial satellites
Each will have the largest-ever communications array ever deployed commercially in low Earth orbit
- Europe’s autonomous orbital laboratory Space Rider undergoes helicopter drop tests
ESA hopes this spacecraft will be its own version of an X-37B
- Cygnus unmanned freighter misses its first burn, and aborts the rescheduled burn
Though NASA says it is still targeting an on scheduled docking to ISS, it is entirely unclear if this will happen.
- Rumors suggest NASA to significantly delay the launch of next crewed Dragion to ISS due to Starliner issues
The reason is that Starliner needs its flight software updated and this will take four weeks. Until Starliner undocks, there is no port for the Dragon to arrive.
I will leave it to my readers to comment on what this new stupidity tells us about Boeing. This flight software worked as planned on the second unmanned demo mission. Why should suddenly need an update while two humans are already in space and relying on it? Furthermore, Boeing had numerous flight software problems on the first unmanned demo mission, and supposedly fixed them for the second.
Posting will continue to be light until tomorrow night.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Best link is a rick roll to BtB: “Rumors suggest…”
All good now with NG-21 Cygnus:
“The Cygnus spacecraft has completed two delta velocity burns, and it remains on track for a capture by the space station’s robotic arm slated for 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The spacecraft is in a safe trajectory, and all other systems are operating normally.”
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialresupply/2024/08/05/nasas-northrop-grumman-cygnus-continues-to-space-station/
It would be good to get more clarity on just what caused the fault in the first place, but at least the cargo mission is back on track.
Four weeks to update the Boeing flight software?!
For what… probably just a change to daylight saving time, except since they’re not using Starlink, the data takes four weeks to send?!
“Why should suddenly need an update …”
What I read in Eric Berger’s piece was that the software needed for an autonomous return was removed after the second unmanned demo. Now they need it back.
My current impression of this whole business is that NASA has curled up into fetal position and gone entirely catatonic, afraid to do anything. That may be better than whistling merrily while things are going increasingly wrong and then curling up after a crew gets killed (e.g. Challenger, Columbia), but it’s not a whole lot better.
Greens don’t like spaceflight.
Little Greta was on Sanjay’s COVID special–so I think Greens are monkey wrenching behind the scenes.
They’re probably updating the software that works, to account for the thrusters that are just fine or at least definitely usable. The ground tests and in-flight firing proofed that. I think, that’s what they said, right?
Seriously, if I were king- Starliner would fly back unmanned as a test of all the systems and fixes. If everything works, give Boeing the checked box as having fulfilled this phase of the contract, and let them stop hemorrhaging money. Even if there are still minor issues, stop the bleeding; stop throwing good money after bad.
Also four weeks in governmentese is eight weeks. Boeing is defacto government.
“Boeing is defacto government.” Wisely put. That, in a nutshell, describes the bulk of Boeing’s problems.
It is a brilliant thing that NASA has options in this situation so they won’t need to be lucky as with STS-27
described by the pilot in https://youtu.be/3nk7qSvOaLo?feature=shared
Perhaps I missed the meaning, but I read recently that the Starliner alone cannot undock from the ISS without the software update. I believe that means it needs the Astronauts in it to leave the docking port. It is pushing millions of dollars of losses to other entities that now must re-adjust their schedules/plans.
Here is the link.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-likely-to-significantly-delay-the-launch-of-crew-9-due-to-starliner-issues/
On the potential upside, Boeing gets a new CEO on Thursday who’s an actual engineer. Let’s hope he starts by taking a few of the more egregious high-ranking blunderers at Boeing out back of the barn and gives them the Old Yeller treatment – “to encourage the others” as the French say. The destruction of Boeing as a functioning aerospace company has taken decades to accomplish. Let’s hope it doesn’t also take decades more to fix.
Nasa ans Boeing do not trust Starliner to fly on its own even with new software.
They want a pilot on board to make sure it does not run into the station. No other reason for it.
And for one I can not see why they can not just use the two arms, One to undock the Starliner and hold on to it out of the way and if need be use the other to dock the next Dragon.
They can then redock the Starliner, fill it with cargo and garbage and let it go home alone.
If Nasa has not thought of this before they are pretty slow on the emergency contingency maneuvers.
So can we say it’s stranded now, if the software is needed to undock? Or is the software only needed to undock unmanned? Does the old software work with the new thruster peculiarities? I’m so confused.
Berger is saying on X the decision has been delayed and will be made by the administrator himself. Right up to the head honcho, no readiness review board needed. Something’s obviously up, we don’t have the full story.
Berger either has inside contacts that leak to him, or is peddling clickbait, or both is always an option. In any event the links to arstechnica are good, thanks DJ.
Leaked footage of Boeing’s HR interview process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzOLaRvPAkQ
If the first thing that Ortberg does when he shows up for work Thursday is NOT to cancel Starliner and fire everyone in that division from the director level up we’ll know he doesn’t really have the authority from the board to actually fix Boeing.
Trump Says Elon Musk Will Interview Him on Monday
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/us/politics/trump-elon-musk-interview.html
Democrats be like…
https://t.ly/kyDdc
Revisiting ancient history, 2021.
https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/thrusters-on-soyuz-docked-to-iss-fire-improperly/
pzatchok,
The ISS robot arms can’t be used with either Dragon or Starliner. As both vehicles are equipped to dock, not berth, neither has a capture fixture that the arms can grab.
”If the first thing that Ortberg does when he shows up for work Thursday is NOT to cancel Starliner and fire everyone in that division from the director level up we’ll know he doesn’t really have the authority from the board to actually fix Boeing.”
The Starliner contract is worth $4.2 billion over 15 years. BCA brings in that much every two weeks. Starliner won’t appear on his radar for months, if ever. It may mean a lot to the people here, but to Boeing it’s just pocket change.