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#260
by
SoftwareDude
on 06 Nov, 2020 23:20
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Maybe too late to make a difference for CST-100, but it is Boeing recognizing that it is no longer 1970.
The Boeing Company named Jinnah Hosein as the company’s new vice-president of software engineering, effective immediately. In this newly created role, Hosein will report to Greg Hyslop, Boeing chief engineer and senior vice-president of engineering, test & technology, and will focus on further strengthening Boeing’s focus on software engineering across the enterprise.
https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/boeing-appoints-jinnah-hosein-to-new-software-engineering-leader-role/
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#261
by
zubenelgenubi
on 07 Nov, 2020 07:14
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#262
by
Lars-J
on 10 Nov, 2020 20:00
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#263
by
yg1968
on 18 Nov, 2020 13:19
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#264
by
Comga
on 20 Nov, 2020 22:38
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A year behind SpaceX, Boeing Starliner redo of test flight pushed to 2021:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-boeing-starliner-redo-test-flight-20201117-f5qx6vevlzg3hnjisz3di4jxuq-story.html
Orbital Flight Test 2 [...] was previously aiming to fly by December, but at a press conference this week leading up to SpaceX’s successful launch, NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said that flight won’t happen until the first quarter of 2021.[...]
Boeing confirmed the push of Orbital Test Flight 2, or OFT-2, from December to early 2021 but could not set target dates for the crewed followup missions.
"...first quarter of 2021..."
"...early 2021 but..."
And a third statement from Sunita Williams in the article, with my emphasis:
Williams said.... the spacecraft is on track to be ready to fly in the spring, and that she and her crew could be flying on Starliner-1 in just over a year.
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#265
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 07 Dec, 2020 20:19
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http://www.boeing.com/features/2020/12/starliner-completes-final-balloon-drop.pageNASA, Boeing Complete Series of Starliner Parachute Tests Ahead of Future Flights with Astronauts
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft completes final balloon drop parachute test
December 07, 2020 in Space
NASA and Boeing have completed Starliner’s last parachute balloon drop test ending a reliability campaign that will help strengthen the spacecraft’s landing system ahead of crewed flights to and from the International Space Station.
The campaign, developed by both Boeing and NASA, used six balloon drop tests of a Starliner test article to gather supplemental performance data on the spacecraft’s parachutes and landing system. Each drop test focused on a different set of adverse conditions and used pre-flown parachutes to evaluate reusability margins for future missions.
Starliner is the first American-made orbital crew capsule to land on land. The spacecraft uses a series of parachutes and airbags that deploy at specific altitudes allowing Starliner to touch down gently in the desert of the western United States. NASA also will use the data gathered from the parachute testing to model Starliner parachute performance in different mission scenarios.
During nominal landings, Starliner uses two small parachutes to carry off the spacecraft’s forward heat shield and expose critical hardware needed for the rest of the landing system sequence. Starliner then deploys two drogue parachutes to slow and stabilize the capsule before three small pilot parachutes pull out the spacecraft’s three mains. The three main parachutes continue slowing Starliner’s descent for a safe and soft touchdown supported by the vehicle’s landing airbags.
“Our philosophy has always been testing the system hardware together to see how all the elements interact,” said Starliner landing system lead at Boeing Mike McCarley. “Our vehicle can’t fit in an airplane, so the only way we can lift a test article high enough to simulate an entire landing system sequence is with very a large balloon.”
For the final test, a high-altitude balloon provided by Near Space Corporation lifted the Starliner test article 35,000 feet above the New Mexico desert. Equipped with reused parachutes, Starliner’s landing system successfully executed an unlikely re-entry scenario simulating two separate faults.
Test teams first prevented one of the vehicle’s forward heat shield parachutes from deploying, but as intended, the heat shield separated successfully without impacting the rest of the landing sequence events.
The test team then prevented one of Starliner’s drogue parachutes from deploying requiring the Starliner test article to ride roughly 10,000 feet under a single drogue parachute that had already been flown twice. Starliner’s three main parachutes performed within the needed limits based on the scenario, despite the higher loads and having been flown four previous times. These additional data points will be used to further validate parachute performance models.
“Parachute systems are inherently complex,” McCarley said. “These are chaotic events by nature. You could do the same test over and over again and see slightly different results. That’s why consistency in data collection is so important.”
Boeing will further improve its main parachute margins by reinforcing and increasing the strength of certain suspension lines within each canopy. These lines are held taut during early stages of deployment and perform a reefing function that allows Starliner’s mains to inflate in stages to manage loading on the spacecraft and the parachutes.
“By increasing the strength of their material and attachment points, we are improving system reliability with only minor adjustments,” said Dan Niedermaier, Starliner’s flight test manager. “As our landing system continues to execute successfully, Boeing is committed to developing the safest orbital crew capsule possible and this supplemental testing is helping us achieve that goal.”
Boeing and NASA will continue collecting data on Starliner’s parachutes through the spacecraft’s second Orbital Flight Test ahead of crewed flights beginning in 2021, but the test phase utilizing high-altitude balloons is now complete.
“This last balloon drop is bittersweet for many of us,” Niedermaier said. “It marks the end of a valuable test series that took hundreds of people working very hard to execute. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results and grateful to our NASA customer for partnering with us on this campaign.”
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.
Image 1 caption:
A Starliner test article prepares to mate with a high altitude balloon ahead of its final parachute reliability drop test at White Sands, NM on Sept. 19.
Image 2 caption:
Starliner's three main parachutes slow the test article to a safe and soft landing during the program's final balloon drop parachute test Sept. 19 at White Sands, NM.
Image 3 caption:
Recovery teams gather at the landing site of the Starliner test article used in the spacecraft's final parachute reliability test at White Sands Space Harbor, NM on Sept. 19.
Edit to add:
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#266
by
jacqmans
on 08 Dec, 2020 08:14
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A reused drogue parachute deploys from Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner test article during the final balloon drop parachute test above White Sands, New Mexico, on Sept. 19, 2020. The test is part of a reliability campaign that will help strengthen the spacecraft’s landing system ahead of crewed flights to and from the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
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#267
by
Mammutti
on 09 Dec, 2020 22:28
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#268
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 09 Dec, 2020 22:51
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#269
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 10 Dec, 2020 18:11
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Photos taken during last week and posted by NASA Kennedy
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#270
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 16 Dec, 2020 14:46
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#271
by
jacqmans
on 13 Jan, 2021 15:26
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NASA astronauts arrive aboard T-38 jet aircraft at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 17, 2020. The astronauts are at Kennedy to prepare for their flights on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner. Wilmore and Williams will command the Crew Flight Test and the Starliner-1 mission, respectively. The crew members will fly to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
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#272
by
jacqmans
on 13 Jan, 2021 15:27
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#273
by
jacqmans
on 13 Jan, 2021 15:28
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#274
by
snotis
on 13 Jan, 2021 19:55
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#275
by
Aphelios
on 15 Jan, 2021 14:48
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New pictures of the OFT-2 capsule with the MMOD Shield/Nosecone opened, and NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, and Sunita "Suni" Williams
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#276
by
Aphelios
on 15 Jan, 2021 14:51
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More Pictures ,OFT-2 Crew Module Lift for Weight and Center Gravity Test
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#277
by
Mammutti
on 15 Jan, 2021 19:10
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#278
by
SMS
on 18 Jan, 2021 14:49
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#279
by
SMS
on 18 Jan, 2021 15:09
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