18.04.2024
Boeing Starliner rolled out ahead of its planned first crewed launch
A Boeing spacecraft, CST-100 Starliner, descended from space beneath three parachutes in May of 2022. An airbag underneath softened the landing as the craft touched down in the White Sands, New Mexico desert. Onboard, a test dummy, “Rosie the Rocketeer, ”which took measurements of stressors on a human body, awaited retrieval.
It seemed like a perfect landing, yet while the spacecraft successfully docked and undocked with the International Space Station, delivering approximately 600 pounds of cargo, not all went as planned. A 2023 report by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel released in January noted some areas, such as a fix that would allow the craft to land even in higher winds, still needed to be worked before a crewed flight. Still, the 2022 flight was seen as a major step forward considering the first flight test in December 2019 failed to dock with the station and which NASA later classified as a "high-visibility close call.
It is now almost two years since that landing, and Starliner is set to launch to the space station once again. This time, with two astronauts onboard.
Early Tuesday, the spacecraft rolled out to meet its Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Teams at Boeing say they are confident that Starliner is ready to fly as soon as 10:34 p.m. EDT on May 6th.
Starliner heads for a meeting with the Atlas V rocket
In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Starliner emerged from Kennedy Space Center's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility along with its upcoming passengers.
Cheers erupted from the crowd as the capsule headed towards the launch pad. After almost two years of waiting, it was ready to fly again. Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, the first Starliner passengers, posed with their ride.
The astronauts took turn sitting in the drivers seat of the capsule transporter to the amusement of spectators.
"Big day for NASA. Big day for Boeing as we get over to the rocket and mate these things together," Wilmore said. "Go Starliner."
"We're super proud of this team," Williams added as she turned to the Boeing team. "They made it happen and its time to turn over from production to operation. We're ready to take it. We're ready."
Starliner mission to the Space Station
After launching to the International Space Station on May 6, the two astronauts will spend about 10 days and be solely focused on making sure Starliner functions smoothly and meets all standards. From launch to docking with the ISS to landing, they will be monitoring the spacecraft's performance. The astronauts will also demonstrate that the spacecraft can perform as a "safe haven", in case of an emergency onboard the ISS.
This will be the flight which certifies the Starliner spacecraft to fly NASA crewed missions.
What is Boeing Starliner?
Starliner, or CST-100, is a spacecraft developed by Boeing to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing refers to it as "a next-generation space capsule that will take people to and from low-Earth orbit." Simply put, Starliner is designed for the ISS, and not beyond.
The CST-100 Starliner, will have the ability to carry up to seven crew members or a mix of crew members and cargo, according to Boeing. The CST in its name stands for "Crew Space Transportation".
According to Boeing, the spacecraft is fully autonomous, flying itself to its destination. The spacecraft also has the ability to identify and even correct errors. However, should there be the need for manual control, the astronauts can take over.
Boeing states that the Starliner spacecraft will be reusable, with the ability to fly up to 10 missions. There will be a six-month service period to ready the spacecraft for another flight.
Starliner will launch early May on a ULA Atlas V rocket
Boeing is planning for an early May launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
Before heading over to meet the Atlas V rocket, the Starliner spacecraft stopped in from of the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building.
Starliner is part of NASA's partnership with private companies to transport crews to the ISS. Boeing was contracted, along with SpaceX, by NASA to fly astronauts to the station as part of the commercial crew program in 2014. The initial contracts were for $4.82 billion for Boeing and $3.14 billion for SpaceX.
While SpaceX has successfully flown astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020 with its Crew Dragon, Boeing has yet to prove that ability with its Starliner.
To date, SpaceX's Dragon has launched 13 crewed missions with a mix of NASA and private crews. According to an August 2022 NASA statement, SpaceX is currently contracted to fly astronauts to the ISS until Crew-14, giving NASA transportation to the ISS until 2030.
What was wrong with Boeing’s Starliner?
Among the issues that Boeing needed to address after its May 2022 second orbital test flight were the failure of two thrusters alongside hardware and safety concerns found post-landing. Originally hoped to launch last year, these hardware and safety issues kept Starliner grounded throughout 2023.
Starliner also faced repairs at Kennedy Space Center for a weak fabric link joint system on its parachutes and flammability of tape for securing wiring harnesses throughout the spacecraft.
Starliner progress has come slowly
FLORIDA TODAY spoke with Laura Forczyk, a consultant in the space industry, on Starliner’s progress. “Not far enough. It is years behind schedule. Years behind SpaceX’s Dragon. 2017 was the initial target date for the first launches for both SpaceX and Boeing,” said Forczyk.
Both companies missed that target date, yet SpaceX has been successfully transporting NASA crewed missions since 2020, including Demo-2 and Crews 1-8.
“They have yet to prove their crew demo flight which is what their next step is.” Forczyk said of Boeing.
This crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner is comparable to SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission in 2020, which certified the Dragon spacecraft to transport astronauts. Demo-2 launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the station. The Demo-2 mission was the first launch of astronauts from America since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.
“Because of the great care that Boeing and NASA working together have done to ensure that Starliner is successful, I do believe that this first flight with astronauts onboard will be successful," Forczyk said.
Florida Tech connection to astronauts flying on Starliner
The two NASA astronauts flying this mission are Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams. Mike Fincke is on the roster as a backup test pilot.
Wilmore, the Starliner flight test commander, has previously flown to space twice, racking up a 178 days. On top of being a NASA astronaut, he is a retired U.S. Navy captain and fighter pilot. Wilmore flew the F/A-18 Hornet and T-45 Goshawk.
According to a statement released by Boeing, Wilmore also serves as a pastor for Providence Baptist church in Pasadena, Texas.
Sunita Williams, the Starliner flight test pilot, racked up 322 days in space, completing 7 spacewalks. According to a Boeing statement, while on the space station, Williams also partook in the Boston Marathon, running along on a treadmill. Like Wilmore, she is a retired U.S. Navy captain. The aircrafts she has flown include the CH-46 Sea Knight and V-22 Osprey.
Williams earned her master's degree in engineering science from Florida Tech in 1995. Last year, she gave a commencement speech to the 2023 Florida Tech graduates.
On a down-to-earth note, Williams is an animal lover. Williams will be flying two dog tags with her in honor of her two rescue Labrador Retrievers.
What's next for Boeing Starliner?
Following a successful crewed flight test, Boeing's Starliner will be selected to transport its first full NASA crew of four astronauts to the ISS for a long duration stay. This mission, which the launch date has yet to be determined, will be named Starliner-1.
Quelle: Florida Today
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Update: 25.04.2024
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NASA astronauts enter quarantine for 1st crewed Boeing Starliner launch on May 6
The astronauts will isolate in Houston, then in Florida.
From left, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Boeing Crew Flight Test pilot and commander, respectively, during a crew validation test at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 18, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)
The first Starliner crew is in quarantine ahead of their scheduled May 6 launch.
The two NASA astronauts to fly aboard Boeing Starliner, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, entered standard pre-flight quarantine on Tuesday (April 22) at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, agency officials stated in a press release.
Quarantine will "ensure the health and safety of the crew prior to liftoff, as well as prevent sickness of the astronauts at the International Space Station," NASA officials stated. "During quarantine, astronaut contact is limited, and most interactions are remote — although family and some launch team members also may be in quarantine or cleared before interacting with the crew."
The astronauts' mission, Crew Flight Test or CFT, will launch to space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) near Orlando, Florida. The duo will also be the first humans to fly on board the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
Boeing and SpaceX received contracts from NASA in 2014 for commercial crew missions to the ISS. Previous to commercial crew, NASA's space shuttle regularly exchanged ISS crews until the program's retirement in 2011 after 30 years of missions.
Boeing's commercial crew contract for the Starliner is valued at $4.2 billion, compared to SpaceX's $2.6 billion. SpaceX has been running operational ISS missions with Crew Dragon since 2020, while Starliner was delayed four years.
Engineers uncovered and addressed numerous technical problems with Starliner, particularly after the first uncrewed test flight in 2019 that failed to reach the ISS as planned. (A second flight got there safely in 2022.)
More issues were found in 2023, further pushing back human spaceflight: The suspension lines of Starliner's main parachutes could handle less load than engineers thought, for example, and the capsule's wiring was largely covered in flammable P213 tape.
During a two-day media tour at JSC in March that Space.com attended, the crew, NASA and Boeing officials emphasized that the delays were necessary for safety. Moreover, the team has confidence that everything is ready for astronauts. Should issues come up in flight, which is common on new spacecraft, Starliner will be in good hands: Williams and Wilmore are former U.S. Navy test pilots well-versed in working out the kinks.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams (foreground) and Butch Wilmore wearing Boeing spacesuits in the Starliner spacecraft simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center during emergency training on Nov. 3, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz)
NASA's commercial crew program gave CFT its "go for launch" on April 18, following a flight test readiness review, officials wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another review is scheduled on April 25, which is also the day that the astronauts are scheduled to fly to KSC for launch preparation.
Meanwhile, Starliner made a six-mile (10-kilometer) journey between KSC buildings on April 16 to reach ULA's vertical integration facility, where it was integrated onto its Atlas V rocket. Engineers are testing the communications between the rocket and spacecraft before the stacked rocket rolls out to its KSC launch pad.
The first operational mission for Starliner, known as Starliner-1, is set for early 2025 at the earliest. The crew for that mission is NASA's Scott Tingle, NASA's Mike Fincke and the Canadian Space Agency's Joshua Kutryk.
SpaceX and Boeing aren't the only entities sending astronauts to the ISS, as Russia's Soyuz spacecraft has been doing that since the complex began construction in 1998. Some NASA astronauts fly on Soyuz for technical and policy reasons, too.
NASA has several quarantine facilities available for astronauts and their support teams. JSC's NASA Astronaut Quarantine Facility is a 12,000-square-foot complex with 12 private sleeping quarters, alongside restrooms, a fitness room and a full kitchen, according to general contractor Harvey Cleary.
KSC's Astronaut Crew Quarters is roughly 26,000 square feet in size and is on the third floor of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where spacecraft are tested and assembled. Among other features are 23 bedrooms and bathrooms, a suit room to get spacesuits on before launch, a kitchen, dining room, gym, conference rooms, laundry rooms, medical exam rooms and a flight surgeon's office, NASA officials stated.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 27.04.2024
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"We love Florida." Starliner astronauts arrive at Cape Canaveral ahead of upcoming flight
Three T-38 jets swooped in over the Cape Canaveral area on Thursday afternoon. Spectators at Kennedy Space Center watched as the three jets landed and rolled up to a waiting press site on the Launch and Landing Facility tarmac.
One of the T-38 jets held particular interest to those watching and waiting.
Piloting the T-38 jet was Butch Wilmore; his crewmate Sunita Williams in the seat behind him. Both will be the first NASA astronauts to fly on Boeing's Starliner ahead of its launch next month to the International Space Station.
The CFT (Crew Flight Test) mission is scheduled to launch at 10:34 p.m. on Monday, May 6.
“We love Florida,” said Wilmore, addressing the crowd. “This is where you launch humans into space. The opportunity to fly in here in our T-38s and know that in less than two weeks the next flight we take we will be on our backs as we actually launch into the heavens — we leave this planet.”
“To do this on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. All the individuals who have put into this… It makes me want to mention everybody’s name,” said Wilmore.
“This is where the rubber meets the road,” added Williams. “We are going to leave this planet, and that is pretty darn cool.”
Crew Flight Test astronauts will test the Starliner spacecraft
The astronauts spoke about their upcoming flight to the International Space Station as test pilots, where they will spend approximately a week. During the mission, they will test every aspect of the spacecraft to ensure it functions as planned.
From launch, to docking, to landing, the astronauts will be occupied with assessing Starliner. During their time onboard the ISS, Williams and Wilmore will test that the spacecraft can function as a “safe haven”, or lifeboat, in case of an issue onboard the space station.
Astronauts have plans before the launch of Starliner
FLORIDA TODAY asked Wilmore and Williams about the itinerary for the upcoming week. While the astronauts will be in quarantine to ensure their health for this mission, they will still be active.
“Review. Review. And Review,” said Wilmore. “There’s so much in this, a fair amount of responsibility. We are ready, but we want to stay ready. We got a week to continue to make sure that there is not a single event that we have trained for that we are not ready for.”
Friday, the crew has a planned crew training activity where they will board the spacecraft and strap in as they will on launch day. Wilmore says he plans to look around carefully to ensure they are familiar with the smallest details of the spacecraft prior to launch day.
“It’s going to be a week of review and preparation," said Wilmore.
Quelle: Florida Today
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Update: 2.05.2024
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NASA Sets Coverage for Boeing Starliner’s First Crewed Launch, Docking
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station.
Launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The flight test will carry Wilmore and Williams to the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Starliner will dock to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:48 a.m., Wednesday, May 8.
The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Wednesday, May 1
1:30 p.m. – Virtual news conference at Kennedy with the flight test astronauts:
- NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore
- NASA astronaut Suni Williams
Coverage of the virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 1, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Friday, May 3
12:30 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director, NASA
- Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
- Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
- Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Coverage of the prelaunch news conference will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 3, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
3:30 p.m. – NASA Social panel live stream event at Kennedy with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Ian Kappes, deputy launch vehicle office manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Amy Comeau Denker, Starliner associate chief engineer, Boeing
- Caleb Weiss, system engineering and test leader, ULA
- Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Coverage of the panel live stream event will stream live at @NASAKennedy on YouTube, @NASAKennedy on X, and @NASAKennedy on Facebook. Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, X, and Facebook livestreams using #AskNASA.
Monday, May 6
6:30 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
10:34 p.m. – Launch
Launch coverage on NASA+ will end shortly after Starliner orbital insertion. NASA Television will provide continuous coverage leading up to docking and through hatch opening and welcome remarks.
Tuesday, May 7
12 a.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:
- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
- Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
Coverage of the postlaunch news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
NASA+ will resume coverage and NASA Television’s media channel will break from in-orbit coverage to carry the postlaunch news conference. Mission operational coverage will continue on NASA Television’s public channel and the agency’s website. Once the postlaunch news conference is complete, NASA+ coverage will end, and mission coverage will continue on both NASA channels.
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 10:30 p.m., Monday, May 6, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
10:15 p.m. – Arrival coverage resumes on NASA+, the NASA app, and YouTube, and continues on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Wednesday, May 8
12:48 a.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module
2:35 a.m. – Hatch opening
3:15 a.m. – Welcome remarks
4:15 a.m. – Post-docking news conference at Johnson with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Coverage of the post-docking news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.
Quelle: NASA
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Update: 6.05.2024
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Boeing Starliner is set to launch NASA astronauts from Florida on the Crewed Flight Test
Monday promises to be a day of firsts.
The first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, the latest private vehicle to be ready to carry American astronauts into low Earth orbit. The first time an Atlas V rocket has lifted astronauts into space. The first launch of humans from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 41.
But on a day of firsts, there is one thing that's not: the two NASA astronauts flying Starliner to the International Space Station bring with them extensive experience in space and at the orbiting outpost. Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams, the Starliner pilot, described the mission last week as "feeling like going home."
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore , the mission commander, share Navy test pilot backgrounds and both have flown on two NASA missions to the station. Both have been training years for this flight, as they waited through multiple delays. The Starliner, like SpaceX's Dragon, is being contracted by NASA to ferry crews to-and-from the ISS.
"Because it is a test flight, we give extra attention ... they are checking out a lot of the systems, the life support, the manual control, all of those things that you want to be checked out," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at a Friday news conference. "That's why we put two test pilots onboard."
The Starliner capsule is set to launch atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on the Crewed Flight Test mission at 10:34 p.m. Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 41. The early weather outlook appears good with a 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions for launch.
"We’re at peak performance right now and we’re really looking forward to executing this weekend, executing the launch and executing the mission in the same way that we got here," said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing's Starliner program. "We’re ready to go."
Here’s everything you need to know about the mission.
Starliner will launch from Space Force Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.
The pad has been the launch site for historic missions beginning with the Titan rockets in 1965. Other notable missions include the New Horizons deep space probe, the Voyager spacecraft and even the Curiosity Mars rover.
What has never happened from the pad before: the launch of humans. The Atlas V rocket has launched from the site since 2002, but this will be the first time it carries astronauts to space.
To prepare for this mission, the launch complex recently saw the addition of a crew access arm.
Another interesting note: the last crewed launch from this military side of the Cape occurred in 1968 with the launch of Apollo 7. All other crewed launches since have taken place from Kennedy Space Center.
Also, this will be only the sixth time in history NASA astronauts have flown a new spacecraft. These include: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, Dragon, and now Starliner.
Role of Boeing Starliner in NASA's Commercial Crew Program
The day the Starliner spacecraft was finally mated to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for the crew flight test was a long time coming for the team at Boeing.
NASA originally awarded Boeing the contract to fly astronauts in 2014, alongside SpaceX. Boeing received $4.8 billion for Starliner while SpaceX received $3.1 billion for Dragon. Both companies were part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which replaced the space shuttle after its retirement in 2011.
Both were late to deliver, hoping to launch as soon as 2017 and restore NASA astronauts access to space from American soil (NASA astronauts were hitching rides aboard the Russian Soyuz).
Following a successful crewed demo flight in 2020, SpaceX has since flown eight NASA crews and multiple private crews to the ISS.
After facing multiple setbacks, including issues found after a successful uncrewed docking with the ISS and landing in 2022, Boeing hopes to prove the capability of its Starliner spacecraft to take on its designated role ferrying NASA crews to the station.
Once successful, Starliner will fly NASA crews in rotation with SpaceX's Dragon− a needed redundancy to ensure NASA access to low Earth orbit.
Going beyond this test flight, according to Boeing, NASA has already contracted for six crewed missions on Starliner.
NASA astronaut and former NASA Associate Administrator and former KSC Director Bob Cabana told FLORIDA TODAY that the success of Boeing Starliner is essential to ensure NASA always has a way to access the station.
“We want that dissimilar redundancy,” said Cabana, adding that NASA cannot rely on solely one company.
With the commercial crew program charged with ensuring access to low Earth orbit, NASA continues to work on its Artemis program, which will fly a crew around the Moon as soon as late 2025. That will mark the first time humans have returned to the Moon since the Apollo missions ended over five decades ago.
NASA's confidence in Starliner
FLORIDA TODAY spoke with Kim Ess, manager of the Integrated Performance Office (IPO) in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) at Johnson Space Center. Ess explained that NASA has done demonstration testing alongside Boeing to ensure the safety of the spacecraft.
"We took more risks when it was just a test flight," Ess said on the topic of the second uncrewed flight in 2022. "Now that our payload, our two crew members, Butch and Suni, we did a lot more research."
She explained that NASA provided Boeing requirements to meet before this crewed flight, and Boeing returned with the necessary results.
"In many cases, we do an independent verification of those requirements," Ess said. She used the example of Boeing demonstrating that they would be able to return the crew safely during a simulation of the landing. NASA ran the same simulation at the organization's Johnson Space Center to compare the data.
"Any differences, we bring in and we talk with them and see 'okay, did you have an error in your model, or did we have an error in our model, or are these true differences?'" Ess said.
"As long as they're along the same lines, we're good. And we have done that extensively for this flight," Ess said.
What is the Starliner spacecraft?
Boeing calls it the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, or simply “Starliner”. Like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, it can carry a mix of crew and cargo or up to seven crew memebers.
With a total height of 16.5 ft (capsule + service module combined) and a diameter of 15 ft, it is a what Boeing refers to as "a next-generation space capsule."
This Starliner spacecraft has a name
The capsule flying Monday was named Calypso by Williams.
Williams, a lover of the ocean, has stated in the past that she named the spacecraft Calypso after the ship of Jacque Cousteau, which was an ocean explorer in the mid-20th century.
That ship was remembered for its underwater observation chamber and being equipped with a helicopter and submersibles, assisting in scientific expeditions. Williams mentioned being excited by Cousteau's television show as a young girl and looked forward to watching his expeditions.
Williams has a special connection to Brevard County
After gaining a B.S. in Physical Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, Williams graduated from Florida Tech in 1995 with her M.S. in Engineering Science.
Last year, she gave a commencement speech to the 2023 Florida Tech graduates.
Williams' first chance to fly to space came when assigned to STS-116. On December 9, 2006, Williams and crew took off onboard Space Shuttle Discovery for a six month stay onboard the ISS.
Williams returned to the ISS during Expedition 32/33. Launching from Kazakhstan in a Soyuz spacecraft on July 14, 2012, Williams saw another long stay onboard the space station. After that 127-day visit to space, she accumulated a total of 322 days spent off the planet.
Now, she said, she's been waiting a long time for this moment.
"With each launch that was rescheduled, I've been given perspective I would've never had without those delays," Williams said before going on to explain how the crew not only got more time to learn about the spacecraft, but to also help shape the Starliner program.
The Starliner crew's playlist and ride to the pad
During a preflight NASA Q and A, Wilmore and Williams mentioned the new Astro Van. Unlike SpaceX crews, who ride in a Tesla, Boeing astronauts will ride to the rocket in a new van. This ride to the pad is reminiscence of the shuttle days, during which NASA astronauts rode in a similar van.
Of course, there will be music on the way.
Asked what would be on their playlist, Wilmore quipped "Epic music." Smiling, he added, "It's in a fight scene in Top Gun Maverick, it's on my playlist."
Guardians at the Gate and Freedom Fighters are two songs Wilmore has on his list.
Williams, however, is going for a more relaxing feeling before launch. "A bit of Country Western and a little bit of Pop. I got a little bit of Kenney Chesney, a little bit of Zac Brown ready to go," she said.
How to watch Boeing Starliner launch
FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team will continue to bring you the latest information on the mission. While the launch is currently set for 10:34 p.m. Monday, various factors can change this.
Follow the FLORIDA TODAY Live Blog on launch day as we await the liftoff of Starliner.
To received launch alerts and updates, download the free FLORIDA TODAY app and enable push alerts from the app settings.
A night launch is difficult to miss under clear conditions. If you are on the Space Coast, simply look towards the sky above the area south of the Kennedy Space Center.
Should conditions Monday night cause a scrub, the next backup launch opportunity is 10:11 p.m. Tuesday. But so far, weather looks like it will cooperate.
What awaits the Starliner crew on the space station
Plans call for Starliner to dock with the station about 26 1/2 hours after launch.
Williams and Wilmore will be busy testing all aspects of Starliner. Being a test flight, demonstrating that the spacecraft preforms as it should will be the crew's main focus.
Ess told FLORIDA TODAY that one of the biggest objectives is the crew's ability to take manual control of Starliner. While Starliner is autonomous, there must be the ability to control the spacecraft manually in case of an emergency situation.
"Prior to docking to the space station ... we're going to approach and then stop, and the crew is going to go through several flight test objectives for manual control and demonstrate that they can do it," said Ess.
Ess said the crew also will be monitoring the spacecraft's software performance.
Once Starliner receives certification to fly NASA crews, it will carry a crew of four on Starliner-1. For this reason, Williams and Wilmore stated during a May 1st press briefing that Crew-8, four astronauts who are currently onboard the ISS, will provide assistance in checking out that the spacecraft can comfortably fit a crew of four in space.
Williams and Wilmore stated that they plan to give Crew-8 the full Starliner tour.
While their stay onboard the ISS is expected to be approximately eight days, there remains the possibly of this stay being extended due to various factors, such as weather at the landing site. As experienced NASA astronauts, Williams and Wilmore have the training needed to jump in and assist on the ISS if needed.
Where will Starliner land?
After spending approximately a week on the International Space Station thoroughly testing every function of the spacecraft, the Starliner crew will return to Earth.
Landing will not be like in the SpaceX Dragon, which lands in the Atlantic Ocean.
Starliner, as it did successfully in the uncrewed test flights, will land under a parachute system and airbags in the New Mexico desert. Boeing refers to it as a "soft landing".
SpaceX also targeting Monday
There could be a doubleheader launch Monday.
SpaceX is targeting a Monday morning Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, navigational warnings indicate.
Though SpaceX has not publicly announced this mission, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Coast Guard maritime safety bulletins show a Starlink launch window will open Monday from 11:34 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. EDT. SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rockets on its Starlink missions deploying satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Quelle: Florida Today
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Boeing Starliner brings astronaut launches back to Atlas rocket, Cape
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket topped with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft stands on Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The rocket will launch the Starliner Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. (ULA)
The launch of two astronauts on a Boeing commercial spacecraft will mark a first for the company, but will also bring U.S. human spaceflight back to a rocket and launch site that has not been used by crews for more than 50 years.
The Crew Flight Test (CFT) for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule is ready to fly NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for today (May 6) at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT on May 7).
The long-awaited launch, which follows two uncrewed orbital flight tests in 2019 and 2022, respectively, will lead to the Starliner conducting regular crew rotation missions to the space station beginning next year.
To reach orbit, the Starliner will fly atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) in Florida. The pad is located less than 7 miles (11 km) from where the first and last (up until now) astronauts launched on Atlas rockets.
Spanning 60 years
"There's some history surrounding this mission," said Gary Wentz, ULA's vice president for government and commercial programs, at a prelaunch press conference on Friday (May 3). "Back in 1962, John Glenn flew on the first Atlasand coincidentally, 62 years later, we're flying our 100th Atlas [V] with Butch and Suni on board. So that's very significant for our team."
Originally designed as the United States' first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Atlas D rocket was modified to launch the first Americans into Earth orbit. Four NASA astronauts flew on the Convair booster, including Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter "Wally" Schirra and and Gordon Cooper.
On May 15, 1963, Cooper's Mercury-Atlas 9 mission lifted off from Complex 14, just south and slightly east of the Starliner pad at SLC-41.
"It was certainly beautiful," said Cooper as he caught his last sight of his ride into orbit as it fell away from "Faith 7," his Mercury spacecraft. "It was very bright silver in color, with a frosty white band around the center portion of it."
Although they are in the same family of rockets, the Atlas D and the Atlas V have very little, if anything in common, other than their name. The modern Atlas, designed by Lockheed Martin, is powered by a Russian RD-180 engine on its first stage and a Centaur upper stage.
Introduced in 2002, the Atlas V is the United States' longest-serving active rocket. The Starliner will be one of the vehicle's last payloads, as it is set to retire after 16 more flights to make way for ULA's new Vulcan heavy-lift rocket.
ULA modified the Atlas V to be able to fly crewed Starliner missions.
"For this, we designed two different technologies to support human spaceflight," said Wentz. "We put an emergency detection system on board that monitors all of the vehicle's systems, and in the event that we had an off-nominal performance of one of those systems and it required the crew to perform an abort, this will actually automatically trigger that abort."
"As well [we built] a dual-engine Centaur, which is really bringing it back from a heritage vehicle that we flew previously, and what we are flying in the future on Vulcan," he said.
Return to the Cape (or not?)
In addition to bringing the Atlas back into the family of human-rated rockets, the launch of Boeing's Starliner CFT mission will also be the first crewed flight to depart Earth from the same side of the Cape as where all astronauts flew from prior to the first missions to the moon.
"One other historical fact," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at Friday's briefing. "This is the first time since the Apollo 7 launch that a human astronaut launch is actually on what used to be the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and now is, of course, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station."
Florida's Space Coast, as managed by the Eastern Range, is divided into two major launch sites: the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (as it is known today), which dates back to 1949, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, founded in 1962. On Oct. 11, 1968, NASA's first crewed Apollo mission, Apollo 7, launched from Complex 34 into Earth orbit. It was the last time (until now) that a crew lifted off from a pad on the Cape-side of the range.
(All subsequent astronaut launches, between 1968 and today, have been from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 A and B pads.)
By journalistic dateline and general understanding, SLC-41 is a Cape Canaveral launch pad, but the distinction is less clear.
While ULA leased the pad and its associated facilities from the Air Force, the land on which both sit is part of Kennedy Space Center. A land use map published by NASA shows SLC-41 on the agency's property and a "notice of availability" offers the launch site for vertical launch operations.
So is Starliner launching from the Cape or Kennedy? An analogy for the situation may be the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. While the building's footprint is in Manhattan, the land it occupies and the facilities atop it are neither part of New York or the United States.
In a similar way, LC-41 sits within Kennedy Space Center property, but the Atlas pad is the responsibility of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
"NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center and the Department of the Air Force have maintained a relationship of cooperation for the use of Launch Complex 41 for over 25 years. This cooperation has provided mutual benefit to both federal partners for many years," read a NASA statement. "The current agreement began Jan. 1, 2024, and may be renewed annually for nine additional years. This cooperation will continue to benefit NASA and the United States Air Force as both agencies strive to complete their missions in the most efficient manner possible."
Quelle: CS
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Quelle: ULA