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#200
by
Lee Jay
on 25 May, 2022 13:22
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Is the Capsule coming back today, and if so what time?
https://blogs.nasa.gov/oft-2/"NASA astronauts living aboard the International Space Station closed the hatch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft at 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 25. The uncrewed spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station to begin the journey home at 2:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 25. NASA and Boeing are targeting 6:49 p.m. for the landing and conclusion of Orbital Flight Test-2, wrapping up a six-day mission testing the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system."
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#201
by
deadman1204
on 25 May, 2022 13:48
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Is the Capsule coming back today, and if so what time?
This evening, around 630pm est I believe.
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#202
by
Jim
on 25 May, 2022 14:18
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On an OFT flight or similar test flight, is the flight strictly performed by operations without the direct involvement of development and test engineers except as standby?
the engineers are in a different control center. No different than any other launch of a spacecraft.
Again, trying to find fault.
Not trying to find fault, This is not just about Boeing, do the engineers participate in the operations or are they only watching and waiting to be called on in the event of a problem?
Watch and wait, same as every other spacecraft
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#203
by
Joffan
on 25 May, 2022 14:22
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Tricky little bit of hatch juggling to get all the catches lined up for closure - zero-g is indeed a different place that can't be simulated easily on Earth. I guess this little re-fitting challenge was a trade-off for the benefit of having a hatch that they can get completely out of the way of the access tunnel.
Yes I was a bit surprised that they took the hatch completely off which could cause a lot of potential problems during keeping and installation. Probably due to the fact that Starliner is shorter and doesn't have space for a folding mechanism.
Are there any minimum time requirements on commercial crew vehicles for emergency ingress and hatch closure?
I think having astronauts inside starliner would have made the process much easier - so not really concerned. Just curious.
I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
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#204
by
SoftwareDude
on 25 May, 2022 14:29
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Is the Capsule coming back today, and if so what time?
11:00 AM PST undocking and return
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#205
by
AstroWare
on 25 May, 2022 14:41
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Tricky little bit of hatch juggling to get all the catches lined up for closure - zero-g is indeed a different place that can't be simulated easily on Earth. I guess this little re-fitting challenge was a trade-off for the benefit of having a hatch that they can get completely out of the way of the access tunnel.
Yes I was a bit surprised that they took the hatch completely off which could cause a lot of potential problems during keeping and installation. Probably due to the fact that Starliner is shorter and doesn't have space for a folding mechanism.
Are there any minimum time requirements on commercial crew vehicles for emergency ingress and hatch closure?
I think having astronauts inside starliner would have made the process much easier - so not really concerned. Just curious.
I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
As long as the issue they are avoiding isn't in the PMA transfer tunnel, then I suppose that hatch may be closed first as they are retreating. I would think that hatch is easier as it's on guided tracks, right?
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#206
by
Jim
on 25 May, 2022 15:03
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Tricky little bit of hatch juggling to get all the catches lined up for closure - zero-g is indeed a different place that can't be simulated easily on Earth. I guess this little re-fitting challenge was a trade-off for the benefit of having a hatch that they can get completely out of the way of the access tunnel.
Yes I was a bit surprised that they took the hatch completely off which could cause a lot of potential problems during keeping and installation. Probably due to the fact that Starliner is shorter and doesn't have space for a folding mechanism.
Are there any minimum time requirements on commercial crew vehicles for emergency ingress and hatch closure?
I think having astronauts inside starliner would have made the process much easier - so not really concerned. Just curious.
I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
Apollo was done the same way
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#207
by
Coastal Ron
on 25 May, 2022 15:13
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I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
Apollo was done the same way
How we did things 55 years ago is not necessarily a ringing endorsement for how we should be doing things today.
That said, sometimes physical constraints limit the possible solutions, and no solution will work in 100% of the possible failure scenarios, so what they find on this mission should inform future choices.
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#208
by
psionedge
on 25 May, 2022 16:53
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I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
Apollo was done the same way
How we did things 55 years ago is not necessarily a ringing endorsement for how we should be doing things today.
That said, sometimes physical constraints limit the possible solutions, and no solution will work in 100% of the possible failure scenarios, so what they find on this mission should inform future choices.
Are you implying a shortfall here?
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#209
by
Joffan
on 25 May, 2022 18:21
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I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
...
As long as the issue they are avoiding isn't in the PMA transfer tunnel, then I suppose that hatch may be closed first as they are retreating. I would think that hatch is easier as it's on guided tracks, right?
Very true. They have that hatch and the hatch at the space end of the PMA as isolation barriers before they need to worry about finding the Starliner hatch. I think that settles the emergency case question as not being an important consideration.
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#210
by
Coastal Ron
on 25 May, 2022 18:59
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I hadn't considered emergency requirements, but in that case of course getting the hatch from wherever it's stowed would also be an extra step to isolating the capsule. The types of emergency that might reasonably be addressed by getting into capsules might have enough lead time though.
I actually think the same closing challenge would apply from either side. The advice from the ground was that they were perhaps pulling the hatch too far into the opening. From inside I would think the same impulse would also apply, to push the hatch firmly into the hole (doubly so for emergencies). Hopefully Boeing engineers will look at how the hatch closures can be adjusted to lead in more reliably.
Apollo was done the same way
How we did things 55 years ago is not necessarily a ringing endorsement for how we should be doing things today.
That said, sometimes physical constraints limit the possible solutions, and no solution will work in 100% of the possible failure scenarios, so what they find on this mission should inform future choices.
Are you implying a shortfall here?
No, and I should have been more clear about that. Just that just like with every transportation system, lessons are learned with every new generation. Starliner apparently meets NASA's requirements regarding how the hatch works, and it is not unusual to have a list of things to "tweak" after a major test.
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#211
by
nicp
on 25 May, 2022 21:40
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I just got home after jamming with friends, at 22:20 BSt (21:20GMT) or a fraction later and saw the ISS preceded by a tiny spec which surely must have been Starliner. Farnborough, Hampshire, UK.
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#212
by
Robert_the_Doll
on 25 May, 2022 22:02
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#213
by
abaddon
on 25 May, 2022 22:05
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LIVE: Deorbit burn and landing
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#214
by
abaddon
on 25 May, 2022 22:07
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Good deorbit burn confirmed.
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#215
by
DecoLV
on 25 May, 2022 22:10
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@WSMissileRange later today.
Agreed - so why is NASA calling it "White Sands Space Harbor" ? Sounds like a marketing name somebody made up.
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#216
by
laszlo
on 25 May, 2022 22:19
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WSSH is the spaceport at White Sands Test Facility. Been that way for decades. A Shuttle landed there in years past.
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#217
by
ZachS09
on 25 May, 2022 22:23
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WSSH is the spaceport at White Sands Test Facility. Been that way for decades. A Shuttle landed there in years past.
That was STS-3 in March 1982.
Another Shuttle mission in December 2006, STS-116, was nearly forced to land at White Sands because of bad weather at both Kennedy Space Center and Edwards Air Force Base. Luckily, KSC weather cleared up at the last minute for an evening landing.
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#218
by
Robert_the_Doll
on 25 May, 2022 22:47
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Three good main chutes!
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#219
by
Robert_the_Doll
on 25 May, 2022 22:51
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And touchdown on cushy airbags!