Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 21 december 2019
Boeing capsule launches to wrong orbit, skips space station

By MARCIA DUNN the Starliner's timer was not a big chunk of their lives exploded during a ground pilot astronaut for Boeing
AP Aeospace Writer working properly when the to put Americans back in test. and one of the Starliner's
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. capsule separated from space from our soil, so it's The U.S. needs compa- key developers.
(AP) — Boeing's new Starlin- the rocket and began fly- disappointing for us," Chil- nies competing like this, "This is why we flight test,
er capsule ended up in the right? We're trying to get all
wrong orbit after lifting off of the bugs, if you will, out
on its first test flight Friday, a of the system," said Fincke
blow to the company's ef- at the briefing. "There's al-
fort to launch astronauts for ways something."
NASA next year. Built to accommodate sev-
As the company scram- en, the white capsule with
bled to understand what black and blue trim will
happened, NASA can- typically carry four or five
celed the Starliner's dock- people. It's 16.5 feet (5 me-
ing with the International ters) tall with its attached
Space Station, instead fo- service module and 15 feet
cusing on a hastier than (4.5 meters) in diameter.
planned return to Earth. For the test flight, the Star-
The Starliner could para- liner carried Christmas
chute into its landing site in treats and presents for the
the New Mexico desert as six space station residents,
early as Sunday. the original air travel ID
Officials stressed the cap- card belonging to Boeing's
sule was stable and safe, founder and a mannequin,
and that had astronauts named Rosie after the bi-
been aboard, they would cep-flexing riveter of World
have been in no danger. War II.
A crew may have been The flight was designed to
able to take over control test all systems, from the
and salvage the mission. vibrations and stresses of
The problem was with the In this long exposure photo, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner liftoff to the touchdown at
Starliner's mission clock: It crew capsule lifts off on an orbital flight test to the International Space Station from Space Launch the Army's White Sands Mis-
was off-kilter, which de- Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force station, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. sile Range in New Mexico,
layed timed-commands to Associated Press with parachutes and air
put the capsule in the right bags to soften the landing.
orbit. Engineers worried the On the eve of the launch,
problem could resurface ing freely. ton told reporters. Bridenstine said Thursday, Bridenstine said he's "very
during descent. NASA Administrator Jim It's been nearly nine years to drive down launch costs, comfortable" with Boe-
It was a major setback for Bridenstine said it was too since NASA astronauts boost innovation and open ing, despite the prolonged
Boeing, which had been soon to know whether Boe- have launched from the space up to more people. grounding of the com-
hoping to catch up with ing would need to conduct U.S. The last time was July He stressed the need for pany's 737 Max jets. The
SpaceX, NASA's other com- another orbital test flight 8, 2011, when Atlantis — more than one company in spacecraft and aircraft
mercial crew provider that without a crew, before fly- now on display at Kennedy case of problems that kept sides of the company are
successfully completed a ing astronauts. The compa- Space Center — made the one grounded. different, he noted. Boeing
similar demonstration last ny had been shooting for final space shuttle flight. Friday's blastoff from Cape has long been involved in
March. SpaceX has one its first crew launch by the Since then, NASA astro- Canaveral Air Force Station NASA's human spacecraft
last hurdle — a launch middle of next year. An ad- nauts have traveled to and started flawlessly as the At- program, from Project Mer-
abort test — before carry- ditional test flight would al- from the space station via las V rocket lifted off with cury to the shuttle and sta-
ing two NASA astronauts in most certainly push the first Kazakhstan, courtesy of the the Starliner just before sun- tion programs.
its Dragon capsule, possibly astronaut flight back. Russian Space Agency. The rise. But a half-hour into the Boeing began preliminary
by spring. Boeing's Jim Chilton, a Soyuz rides have cost NASA flight, the trouble became work on the Starliner in
NASA officials did not think senior vice president, up to $86 million apiece. apparent. 2010. Four years later, Boe-
Friday's problem would stopped by the Starliner's The space agency handed Ground controllers tried to ing and SpaceX made the
hold up SpaceX, but said manufacturing plant at over station deliveries to pri- send up commands to get final cut. Boeing got more
they would need to make Kennedy Space Center vate businesses, first cargo the spacecraft in its proper than $4 billion to develop
sure nothing was in com- to address employees on and then crews, in order to orbit, but the signals did and fly the Starliner, while
mon between the two his way to a somber news focus on getting astronauts not get there and by then SpaceX got $2.6 billion for a
companies' on-board mis- conference. back to the moon and on it was too late. The capsule crew-version of its Dragon
sion timers. Ground control- "These are passionate peo- to Mars. tried to fix its position, burn- cargo ship.
lers were puzzled over why ple who are committing Commercial cargo ships ing too much fuel for the On Thursday, Bridenstine
took flight in 2012. Crew spacecraft to safely make said NASA wants to make
capsules were more com- it to the space station for a sure every reasonable pre-
plicated to design and Saturday rendezvous. caution is taken with the
build, and parachute and All three astronauts as- capsules, designed to be
other technical problems signed to the first Starliner safer than NASA's old shut-
caused repeated delays. crew were at control cen- tles.
Target launch dates start- ters for the launch: Mike "We're talking about hu-
ing with 2017 came and Fincke and Nicole Mann, man spaceflight," he cau-
went. Last April, a SpaceX both with NASA, and Boe- tioned. "It's not for the faint
crew capsule — the same ing's Chris Ferguson, who of heart. It never has been,
one that flew to the space commanded the last shut- and it's never going to
station a month earlier — tle mission. He's now a test be."q