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#340
by
SWGlassPit
on 12 Apr, 2018 15:56
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While I appreciate the excitement on this website for what Space X is accomplshing, I am somewhat baffled that there isn’t more excitement (or more postings) for this Boeing entry.
This particular spacecraft configuration/architecture was pretty exciting... 50 years ago.
Its almost the same as the other spacecraft. People are more excited for a certain company's hype.
Maybe it is because I grew up watching Apollo, but to me, Starliner is something akin to what we may have seen Apollo evolve into, at least for LEO taxi service, had we remained with its incredibly robust and practical configuration, probably guaranteeing easier and reliable regular access to LEO without the huge involvement required for an Orbiter launch. Shuttle was an incredible vehicle, but its much higher than expected costs, and safety concerns limited its practical applications to high-cost, high-profile undertakings.
This design is being returned to because it works and is practical in its relative simplicity. The ease of access to orbit, and the possibility of Boeing evolving the core vehicle for more intensive needs, is an exciting prospect. Why is it some folks think because it was used (very successfully) decades ago, but then abandoned, that it no longer has validity as an excellent design. This is like looking at the B2 bomber and saying “ya know, the old B49 already did the flying wing configuration, and you know, it wasnt the best thing in the sky — and we moved on decades ago — so the B2 will likewise be worthless...”.
Agree with this. People are judging the "innovation" of a spacecraft by its outer mold line, which is akin to judging a book not by its cover, but by the fact that it is generally rectangularly shaped. Spacecraft, aircraft, sea vessels, etc, tend to have similar shapes from design to design because those shapes are dictated by physics.
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#341
by
woods170
on 13 Apr, 2018 06:39
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For me, Boeing isn't flying any version of the Starliner and the other guys are flying a version of theirs.
On the other hand, it has been fun watching Boeing lose on the Orion competition, builds from that and work with Bigelow to come to the Starliner and may will fly before Orion.
Yes, that is most ironic.
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#342
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 13 Apr, 2018 08:06
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On the other hand, it has been fun watching Boeing lose on the Orion competition, builds from that and work with Bigelow to come to the Starliner and may will fly before Orion.
Orion has already flown (EFT-1 with a dummy service module on 5 December 2014). Starliner will fly crew before Orion though.
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#343
by
woods170
on 13 Apr, 2018 09:25
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On the other hand, it has been fun watching Boeing lose on the Orion competition, builds from that and work with Bigelow to come to the Starliner and may will fly before Orion.
Orion has already flown (EFT-1 with a dummy service module on 5 December 2014). Starliner will fly crew before Orion though.
What flew on EFT-1 in 2014 was a bare-bones version of the crew module, with an inert LAS and structural spacer instead of service module.
Doing an apples-to-apples comparison between Starliner and Orion - with regards to flight testing that is - is comparing Starliner's OFT against Orion's EM-1. Both missions will fly unmanned versions of the full-up spacecraft.
In which case Starliner flies well before Orion.
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#344
by
abaddon
on 13 Apr, 2018 14:01
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So now we've moved from bringing up Dragon to bringing up Orion into the thread. Starliner can't win it seems
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Me, I can't wait to see Starliner fly from the newly crew-capable Atlas V pad! Also looking forward to the upcoming abort test. Any word on whether that will be livestreamed or not yet?
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#345
by
clongton
on 13 Apr, 2018 14:19
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I'm looking forward to all 3 of them flying. But you're right. This is the CST-100 thread and should be kept on-topic. There are plenty of threads for the others.
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#346
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Apr, 2018 19:25
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#347
by
Ike17055
on 14 Apr, 2018 14:59
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On the other hand, it has been fun watching Boeing lose on the Orion competition, builds from that and work with Bigelow to come to the Starliner and may will fly before Orion.
Orion has already flown (EFT-1 with a dummy service module on 5 December 2014). Starliner will fly crew before Orion though.
What flew on EFT-1 in 2014 was a bare-bones version of the crew module, with an inert LAS and structural spacer in stead of service module.
Doing an apples-to-apples comparison between Starliner and Orion - with regards to flight testing that is - is comparing Starliner's OFT against Orion's EM-1. Both missions will fly unmanned versions of the full-up spacecraft.
In which case Starliner flies well before Orion.
I always find it amazing that so many will say “what flew wasn’t REALLY a real Orion,” but then will just as boldly say that Dragon “is already flying,” as if there is no real difference between crew dragon and cargo dragon. Orion for EFT-1 bore just as much resemblance to its completed version (more, in the opinion of some) as the cargo Dragon does to its built-outs uccessor, the Crew Dragon, with which it mainly shares a similar or identical pressure vessel.
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#348
by
Robotbeat
on 14 Apr, 2018 18:53
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On the other hand, it has been fun watching Boeing lose on the Orion competition, builds from that and work with Bigelow to come to the Starliner and may will fly before Orion.
Orion has already flown (EFT-1 with a dummy service module on 5 December 2014). Starliner will fly crew before Orion though.
What flew on EFT-1 in 2014 was a bare-bones version of the crew module, with an inert LAS and structural spacer in stead of service module.
Doing an apples-to-apples comparison between Starliner and Orion - with regards to flight testing that is - is comparing Starliner's OFT against Orion's EM-1. Both missions will fly unmanned versions of the full-up spacecraft.
In which case Starliner flies well before Orion.
I always find it amazing that so many will say “what flew wasn’t REALLY a real Orion,” but then will just as boldly say that Dragon “is already flying,” as if there is no real difference between crew dragon and cargo dragon. Orion for EFT-1 bore just as much resemblance to its completed version (more, in the opinion of some) as the cargo Dragon does to its built-outs uccessor, the Crew Dragon, with which it mainly shares a similar or identical pressure vessel.
I think you'd have a valid point if SpaceX had stopped at SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1. But SpaceX has a huge number of Dragon missions under their belt, now, of a sophistication much higher than EFT-1 or COTS Demo 1. The heatshield tech (which was a big part of what EFT-1 and COTS Demo 1 were testing) is also more similar between Dragon cargo and crew than between EFT-1 and later Orion versions, so in spite of the differences in outer moldline, I'd say EFT-1 and Demo-1 were fairly close to each other as far as replicating the eventual crewed variants. But for actual operations and deep, near-term experience with capsules, SpaceX is unrivaled in the US.
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#349
by
jacqmans
on 03 May, 2018 09:23
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Boeing’s CST-100 Pad Abort Test Vehicle is almost ready to head to White Sands, New Mexico, to test the launch abort engines. During that test, the four abort engines will prove that the vehicle can safely perform an abort maneuver in the event of an emergency on the launchpad or during flight. The vehicle is mated to the service module for a fit check, and then the two will be taken apart for final preparations before heading to the desert.
Photo credit: Boeing
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#350
by
jacqmans
on 03 May, 2018 09:24
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Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test vehicle will be the second to go to space, and the first to fly crew on a test flight to the International Space Station. In this picture, the upper dome is actually mated to the lower dome, but only electronically. The Boeing team is making sure all the hardware and software in the two pieces are working together correctly, before they will be put together for a final time. Then, the interior of the spacecraft will be outfitted and the outside will be covered with thermal protection.
Photo credit: Boeing
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#351
by
jacqmans
on 03 May, 2018 09:24
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Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test vehicle will fly the first test flight to space on an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station. Here you see the spacecraft’s upper dome undergoing the final preparations before the upper and lower dome are mated for a pressure test, and then the two domes will move on to be populated with avionics, life support and other critical hardware.
Photo credit: Boeing
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#352
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 11 May, 2018 13:39
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#353
by
su27k
on 19 May, 2018 04:32
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#354
by
zhangmdev
on 21 May, 2018 10:23
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<snip> What is the right hand side astronaut doing?
"NASA’s Commercial Crew Program astronauts, wearing spacesuits and augmented reality headsets, rehearse returning to Earth from the International Space Station during recent testing at Boeing’s Extended Reality Laboratory in Philadelphia. The astronauts are seated upside down so they can practice releasing their seat harness and moving to the side hatch of the Starliner without assistance. The astronauts wearing the mixed reality gear see a digital version of the interior of the Starliner as it would look in the real-life scenario while interacting with the environment around them. Photo credit: Boeing"
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/
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#355
by
ethan829
on 30 May, 2018 12:25
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#356
by
clongton
on 30 May, 2018 16:03
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#357
by
Jimmy_C
on 09 Jun, 2018 05:41
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#358
by
soltasto
on 17 Jun, 2018 09:30
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#359
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 29 Jun, 2018 15:33
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The upper and lower domes of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Spacecraft 2 Crew Flight Test Vehicle were mated June 19, 2018, inside the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Starliner will launch astronauts on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Photo credit: Boeing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasakennedy/41276984680
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