This photo provided by NASA shows the Starliner spacecraft docked to the International Space Station’s Harmony module orbiting 262 miles above Egypt’s Mediterranean coast on June 13, 2024. Credit: NASA, via AP, File
Boeing has Astronaut Capsule Now that tests of the spare thrusters have been completed on Earth, they will be tested in orbit.
of Starliner Capsule It has been docking He had been at the International Space Station since June 6th. NASA test pilot By mid-June, however Thruster Malfunctions and helium leaks prompted NASA and Boeing to extend the stay.
Officials said Thursday that a return date for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has not yet been set. Engineers will first disassemble the thrusters that were test fired in New Mexico over the past few weeks, then analyze the data before giving Starliner the go-ahead to return.
“We’ve collected a tremendous amount of data on the thrusters that will help us better understand what’s going on during flight,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said in a statement.
In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore (center) pose with Expedition 71 flight engineers Mike Barratt (left) and Tracy Dyson inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock on June 24, 2024. Officials said Thursday, July 18, that a return date has not yet been determined for Williams and Wilmore, who have been at the International Space Station since June 6. Credit: NASA, via The Associated Press, File
This test allowed the thruster conditions to be replicated until the capsule docked. Space StationNASA said it will also look at how the thrusters will be affected during the time between undocking and descent.
This will be Starliner’s first test flight with a crew on board.
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Quote: Latest tests bring Boeing closer to understanding thruster failures on first astronaut flight (July 18, 2024) Retrieved July 19, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-boeing-closer-thruster-failures-astronaut.html
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