Boeing Starliner Returns Empty, Leaving Astronauts Stranded in Space

Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico early on September 7th concluding a troubl test mission that faced considerable challenges however the Starliner returned to Earth without its crew of NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams who remained aboard the International Space Station due to Thruster concerns originally intended for an 8-day Mission the astronauts will now remain on the ISS until February 2025 returning via SpaceX crew Dragon spacecraft this mission was Boeing's inaugural crude Test Flight of the Starliner spacecraft successfully completing this Mission would have positioned Boeing as the second private company after SpaceX to provide NASA with crew transport to the ISS the success of the Starliner mission was critical for Boeing especially given the company's recent challenges in both its Airline and space sectors however this mission was marred with problems since the beginning the launch was initially planned for May 6th 2024 a small helium leak was detected in the service module shortly after the initial launch attempt causing the mission to be scrubbed during this successful launch on June 5th two more helium leaks were discovered one of which was relatively large at 395 PSI per minute after docking with the ISS on June 6th a fourth leak was found although it was much smaller at 7.5 PSI per minute by June 11th a total of five helium leaks had been detected in the spacecraft's propulsion system after extensive testing and Analysis Boeing Engineers concluded that the helium leaks were likely caused by slightly degraded seals exposed to toxic propellants over an extended period despite these leaks Willmore said that Starliner performed unbelievably well noting that he was tempted to give the spacecraft a rare rating of one on the astronauts scale of 1 to 10 for spacecraft handling qualities on this scale one is the best and 10 is the worst uh launch was spectacular I mean truly amazing and then we got into our operational capabilities checks and the the spacecraft performed un believably well we have these things called Hooper carper's rating scale 1 to 10 one being the best uh 10 being the worst I've never given a 10 in all my flight test year excuse me a one in all my flight test years uh on a Hooper carpa rating scale for handling qualities but I was tempted that's how precise this spacecraft controlled in all aspects of the various tests we did I won't go into those details of what the tests were but it was truly amazing the Precision that this spacecraft held however the missions course took a drastic turn on the second day as they approached the ISS one of Starliner 28 reaction control system or RCS thrusters unexpectedly shut down followed by another the astronauts were forced to take manual control for over an hour while ground teams scrambled to troubleshoot the issue ultimately five RCS thrusters shut down though some thrusters were restored the spacecraft's thrust remained degraded despite these challenges Starliner managed to dock with the ISS with remarkable Precision even in automatic mode NASA initially scheduled a June 14th undocking for Starliner but it was delayed to no earlier than June 18th to avoid a conflict with an ISS Space Walk the mission was further extended to June 25th to allow more time for Thruster and helium leak testing the extension provided additional time for astronauts to conduct tests on Starliner including assessments of its life support systems and other critical functions needed for future crude missions the months of July and August saw considerable tension between NASA and Boeing Boeing insisted after extensive testing that Starliner was safe to bring the two home however because of a Cascade of Thruster trouble and helium loss NASA ultimately decided it was too risky to return them on St Starliner and booked a flight with SpaceX instead to add to the fears something strange happened in late August astronaut Butch Wilmore reported hearing weird noises coming from the faulty Boeing Starliner That Was Then docked on the ISS Houston's with you but go ahead uh this there a strange noise coming through the speaker and I didn't know if you could Connect into the Starliner and let me uh keep M and let you hear I don't I don't know what what's making it but uh I don't if it's that maybe connected between here and there making that happen but uh anyway can you do that we can configure that Butch give us a minute and I'll call you back when it's ready okay station Houston on2 we're configured for audio via Hardline and CST if you want to give us a call okay I'm in uh I'm in Starliner and how you 5 by five how me okay I'm G put I'm keep the mic up next to speaker copy that at negative Butch we did not hear anything all right Butch that one came through it was kind of like a pulsing noise almost like a sonar ping I'll do it one more time and scratch your head to see if you he what's going on here we go all right over you how us figure it out yep good recording thanks Butch we will pass it on to the team and let you know what we find and Butch just to be make sure I'm on the same page this is emanating from the speaker and Starliner you don't notice anything else uh any other noises any other weird configs in there okay thank you however according to NASA experts the sound was feedback from the space ship's audio system which connects lots of different ships and there was nothing to worry about on September 6th Starliner undocked from the space station and 6 hours later it parachuted into New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range descending on autopilot through the desert Darkness while the mission ended it raised some serious problems for both Boeing and NASA the development of the Starliner is part of NASA's broader effort to ensure safe reliable and coste effective transportation to and from the ISS in 2014 NASA selected SpaceX and Boeing to develop spacecraft for this Mission SpaceX was tasked with developing the crew Dragon while Boeing worked on the Starliner NASA awarded Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion the funding discrepancy was partly due to Boeing's arguments about spacex's reliability spacex's crew Dragon quickly made significant strides by March 2019 the crew Dragon completed its first uncr flight to the ISS demonstrating its ability to Dock and return to Earth this success was followed by the demo 2 mission in May 2020 which marked the first crude flight of crew Dragon safely transporting two astronauts to the ISS and back since then crew dragon has become a reliable means of transportation for NASA astronauts consistently performing missions to and from the ISS in contrast things haven't been smooth for Boeing Starliner the first major test the uncrewed orbital flight test in December 2019 encountered issues although the Starliner launched successfully a software problem prevented it from reaching the ISS cutting the mission short in 2022 Boeing attempted a second uncrewed flight test which was successful the Starliner completed its mission to the ISS docking and returning to Earth without significant issues however the failure of the first crude Starliner Mission has complicated NASA's broader goals for human space flight including plans for lunar and deep space exploration the agency initiated its commercial crew program to Foster competition and Innovation among private companies but the repeated setbacks with Boeing May hinder progress in this area the situation highlights NASA's increasing Reliance on SpaceX for crew Transportation with Starliner unable to fulfill its role NASA had to adjust its plans to ensure the astronauts could return safely this shift raises questions about Boeing's future in the commercial crew program and its ability to meet NASA's needs the mission has turned out to be a major setback for Boeing Boeing has already spent over $1.5 billion Beyond its fixed price contract with NASA for the Starliner program and the recent issues may lead to further costly redesigns and delays the company's credibility in the Aerospace sector is increasingly under scrutiny particularly in the light of its struggles to compete with SpaceX which has successfully conducted multiple crude missions now astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will now spend at least 240 days in space a March departure could bump that number up to 270 days eight straight months in space Sounds like a lot but it's far from a new record the record for the most consecutive days in space By An American goes to astronaut Frank Rubio who spent 371 days aboard the ISS from September 2022 to September 2023 Rubio was initially expected home in March 20123 but is stay in space more than doubled after a small meteoroid or piece of space junk slammed into the Russian soyu spacecraft that was meant to carry him home in December 2022 causing irreparable damage he had to wait another 6 months in space before a replacement soyu's capsule arrived to bring them home cosmina Valerie poov holds the record for the most consecutive days spent in space By Any Human he worked aboard Russia's now defunct mere space station for 437 days or more than 14 months from January 1994 to March 1995 pool volunteered for this Mission as part of a study of the effects of long-term space flight on human health research has shown that astronauts who spend long periods in microgravity often face short-term health effects including muscle and bone loss Vision issues weakened immune systems a higher risk of blood clots and inflammation and even DNA damage most of these conditions return to normal within 6 months after returning to Earth however the exploration of how space travel affects human health is still in its early stages as Williams and Wilmore spend the next five to 6 months in space they may experience some of these temporary physical changes along with potential mental health challenges like isolation and boredom spending an extended period in the confined environment of the ISS away from family and friends can take a psychological toll symptoms like depression anxiety and cognitive impairment have been observed in some astronauts nevertheless their extended mission is not without precedent and is far safer than returning them to Earth with unresolved spacecraft technical issues thanks for watching and for regular space updates and astronomical discoveries make sure to subscribe to our Channel