this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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After years of delays and setbacks, Boeing plans to launch two veteran astronauts to the International Space Station on Monday night aboard its Starliner spacecraft.

After years of delays, Boeing is finally set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on its Starliner spacecraft.

The capsule is scheduled to lift off Monday at 10:34 p.m. ET, atop an Atlas V rocket at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams will pilot the Starliner on its inaugural crewed flight — a crucial final test before NASA can authorize Boeing to conduct routine flights to and from the space station for the agency.

The stakes are high. This will be Boeing’s first launch with humans aboard its spaceship, and it comes after years of delays, technical setbacks and significant budget overruns. If successful, the flight will enable Boeing to challenge the dominance held by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost since 2020.

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[–] misterundercoat 135 points 6 months ago (3 children)

In an odd coincidence, the first crew of the Boeing space probe will consist of 10 whistleblowers.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Whistles cant blow in a vacuum.

[–] littlebluespark 8 points 6 months ago

But space capsules can. Just takes one loose bolt.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago

I came here for these jokes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Don’t worry Lord Titus we have plenty of whistleblowers.

[–] CaptainSpaceman 64 points 6 months ago (3 children)

How many whistleblowers died to get those 2 ready for launch?

[–] Diplomjodler3 21 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

[–] cosmicrookie 7 points 6 months ago

Or rather they'd come after you

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

Everytime someone asks that question, someone else dies

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The spacecraft is actually fueled with dead whistleblowers

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 6 months ago (3 children)

We know it will fail but the question is how. Will the door fall off? Will the oxygen supply explode? Will all the astronauts misteriously commit suicide after it turns out they are whistleblowers? Who knows?

[–] Num10ck 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

china will detonate flares in front of it

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)
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[–] tyrant 36 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Probably not much. The capsule has already been tested and flown to ISS without a crew. This is finally the first crewed test. It was supposed to happen I think last year. But NASA tore down the capsule one more time and asked Boeing to change out some wiring harness shielding just to be extra careful about high oxygen environment fire potential.

ULA's Atlas rocket which is taking the capsule up has been successful in every launch as far as I've paid attention back to 2007 when it first started being used. Including I believe all of the Mars rover missions.

I get all the hurr durr Boeing jokes are going to happen. But that's commercial airline Boeing. Not MIC/NASA Boeing. And ULA has a fantastic track record. I'm going to be sad if Blue Origin really does end up buying them out.

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[–] SlothMama 31 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I assumed this was an Onion article by the title. It's not.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Whatever the reverse of eating the onion is I did as well.

[–] monkeyslikebananas2 4 points 6 months ago
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[–] Toneswirly 27 points 6 months ago

Astronauts: ...do I have to?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

a new Challenger has arrived!

[–] Tugboater203 3 points 6 months ago

I see what you did there, well done.

[–] ikidd 16 points 6 months ago
[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] khannie 3 points 6 months ago

That's a very good read. Cheers.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (4 children)

This is the last flight of an Atlas V, too. Kind of odd to launch Starliner on this when they're going to need to start testing over for the replacement rocket - Vulcan Centaur.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I don't know a lot about either program, but it seems pretty reasonable to test one new system with other stuff that's well-understood and reliable, rather than stacking multiple new tests atop one another

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I only work in dumbass terrestrial systems administration, and even we do that (mostly because I pitch a fit when they try to test more than one thing at a time)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

That's a good point.

[–] FlyingSquid 9 points 6 months ago

Not all that odd for NASA, unfortunately. They're always beholden to bureaucratic and political bullshit that forces this sort of thing on them.

[–] lefty7283 4 points 6 months ago

They’re still going to launch the 6 operational starliner flights on Atlas V’s, and Amazon has bought several of them for their Kuiper satellite constellation.

Personally I doubt starliner is going to keep flying once the 6 ISS missions are over, regardless of launch vehicle.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago

And Boeing is known for quality. Wishing the best to everyone on that mission.

[–] FlyingSquid 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams will pilot the Starliner on its inaugural crewed flight

Ah, the ones who failed the psych exam.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] FlyingSquid 14 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I don't know, is it? Would you get on a rocket designed by Boeing?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

Ah. Well they were designed by Lockmart and have had only one major failure AFAIK, so the rocket party is probably fine. Ought to check the door seals on the capsule, though.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] FlyingSquid 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Rocket, capsule, whatever. That's not really the point. Boeing made something that could very easily kill them specifically because it was made by Boeing, not because of the risks of space travel.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes. But it might be worth separating because the rocket has superb reliability record and ULA folks don't deserve being smeared with Boeing shit. 😂

[–] FlyingSquid 3 points 6 months ago

Ok, fair enough.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Gotta be ...... especially if the chances of your exterior door blowing out at any time is greater than 20% .... in space!

[–] frankgrimeszz 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] FuglyDuck 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Did they sort out the QC problems?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

No but they did sort out the whistleblower problem - twice!

[–] FuglyDuck 5 points 6 months ago

Wouldn’t catch me alive on that thing.

Dead…. Well, it might be cool to have ashes scattered in space or something, and I’d be past caring at that point anyhow.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

Hopefully, if the door blows off, everyone is wearing their seatbelt. Those astronaut must know they're doomed, no?

[–] TIMMAY 6 points 6 months ago

looks like a third grader's diy R2D2

[–] jordanlund 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Loving that the nosecone looks like R2D2.

[–] littlebluespark 2 points 6 months ago

Got any spare bolts?

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