Elyna Niles-Carnes – Page 2 – NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test

NASA Leaders Discuss Review Process for Starliner Crew Flight Test

Looking down at Boeing's Starliner spacecraft attached to the International Space Station. — The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s human spaceflight management team provided a media update Aug. 14 on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test at the International Space Station. The group, including the Associate Administrator for Space Operations Ken Bowersox, highlighted the role safety plays as a core value at NASA and how safety guides the decision-making process for the mission.

The panel also touched on numerous aspects of the Crew Flight Test as NASA and Boeing evaluate the Starliner testing data generated over the past few weeks ahead of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program control board. NASA then plans to hold a readiness review where agency leadership will finalize the plan to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the space station. Following the readiness review, mission leadership will host a televised briefing to discuss the decision and path forward.

Listen to a full replay of the media update. Other briefing participants included:

Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
Russ DeLoach, chief, NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance
NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba
Emily Nelson, chief flight director, NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate

Although no final decisions have been made, teams are evaluating returning Wilmore and Williams aboard the Starliner spacecraft. In parallel, NASA also is looking more closely at the capability to return the crew as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Crew-9 will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, and return to Earth in February 2025.

While work continues on Earth to analyze the Starliner spacecraft and its systems, Wilmore and Williams continued their work aboard the International Space Station. Since the mission is a flight test, the crew has undergone rigorous training for any duties or issues that may arise, and the astronauts are well prepared for all situations.

The main goal of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is two unique human spaceflight systems. Should any one system encounter an issue, NASA still has the capability to launch and return crew members to ensure safety and a continuous human presence aboard the station.

The International Space Station is the world’s leading space laboratory where researchers conduct cutting-edge research and technology development that will enable human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including the Moon and Mars.

NASA Starliner Astronauts Conduct Research, Maintenance Aboard Station

Image shows Boeing's Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA's Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China. — Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 258 miles above western China. Photo credit: NASA

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, crew members of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission, performed a host of research activities and other roles aboard the International Space Station. Wilmore and Williams give the microgravity laboratory a complement of nine people working through daily tasks.

On Monday, Wilmore and Williams reviewed the procedures for using the Fluid Systems Servicer, which drains, purges, and circulates fluids on systems aboard the space station. Wilmore then refilled coolant loops in the water pump assembly located in the Columbus module. Tuesday saw the pair take turns during the morning pedaling on an exercise cycle while attached to heart and breathing sensors that measured their aerobic capacity. The duo then split up as Wilmore serviced a pair of research freezers that preserve scientific samples and Williams installed hardware on an experiment that explores atmospheric reentry and thermal protection systems.

The seven-member Expedition 71 crew joined the two Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts to practice an emergency drill in collaboration with mission controllers. The teams aboard the orbital outpost and on the ground coordinated communications and reviewed procedures in the unlikely event of a pressure leak, chemical leak, or fire aboard the space station. Following that, Wilmore and Williams spoke to reporters from the space station, answering questions about their mission and the Starliner vehicle. NASA and Boeing managers also discussed the Crew Flight Test mission with the media in an audio teleconference afterward. Watch the crew news conference here and listen to the media briefing here. The duo also completed life support work refilling temperature loops with water in the Tranquility module’s internal thermal control system.

Advanced biology research also was underway aboard the orbiting lab on Thursday with astronauts exploring how living in space affects the human body and mind. Williams extracted DNA to identify microbe samples collected from station water systems. Results from the genetic biotechnology experiment may improve ways to keep crews healthy and spacecraft systems clean on future missions.

NASA astronaut Michael Barratt also assisted Wilmore, who spent all day servicing a pair of spacesuits in the Quest airlock. The duo cleaned the suits’ cooling loops and checked the communication systems ahead of a spacewalk planned for July 29.

NASA, Boeing Conduct Ground Tests Ahead of Starliner Return

Photo shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a news conference aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. — NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore speak during a news conference aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA and Boeing continue working to increase their understanding of the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system before the return of agency astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth from the International Space Station. Teams are conducting ground tests at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico using a new Reaction Control System thruster previously planned for use on a future Starliner flight.

Wilmore and Williams provided an update Wednesday about their flight on Starliner and work aboard the space station during an Earth to space call. Following the crew news conference, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich and Boeing Commercial Crew Program Manager and Vice President Mark Nappi spoke extensively about the mission and testing plans ahead of the Crew Flight Test return. Listen to a replay of the leadership briefing.

After an agency-level readiness review later this month, NASA and Boeing plan to select a new target return date for the Crew Flight Test. Following this review, NASA plans to host a televised briefing and will share more details on that when finalized.

Follow the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook for the latest mission updates.

NASA, Boeing Update Starliner Crew Flight Test Return from Station

The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea.

Teams from NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than 10:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25, for the undocking of the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station. For the primary undocking opportunity, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the first crew to fly aboard Starliner, would land about 4:51 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Mission teams supporting NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test continue to review Starliner’s data from the completed test objectives.

During a media teleconference on Tuesday, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, discussed the flight test and upcoming return plans. Stich was joined by Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program; Mike Lammers, flight director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; and Mark Nappi, vice president and manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. Listen to a full replay of the teleconference.

Following undocking and the deorbit burn, Starliner will descend under parachutes to land in the desert grounds of White Sands. Airbags attached to the bottom of Starliner will soften the spacecraft’s touchdown. The landing will mark the first time an American capsule has touched down on land with astronauts aboard. A team of NASA and Boeing specialists will retrieve the crew soon after landing.

Wilmore and Williams docked the Starliner spacecraft to the space station’s forward port on June 6 and have been testing spacecraft systems and performing tasks aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Get the latest mission updates by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA to Host Postlaunch News Conference at 12:30 p.m. EDT, Starliner Headed to Station

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a Boeing Starliner spacecraft launches NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station!

The capsule, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, is expected to reach the orbiting laboratory at 12:15 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 6.

A postlaunch news conference will be held at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. with the following participants:

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Tory Bruno, president and CEO, ULA

Coverage of the postlaunch news conference will air live on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Once the postlaunch news conference is complete, NASA+ coverage will end, and mission coverage will continue on both NASA channels. NASA+ coverage will resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 6, as Starliner approaches the space station for a docking to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module.

NASA Astronauts, Starliner Inch Closer to Space Station

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket booster separates from the Centaur upper stage carrying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Photo credit: NASA Television

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket booster has separated from the Centaur upper stage carrying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The Centaur will continue to help propel Boeing’s Starliner to a suborbit before the spacecraft boosts itself to orbit, bringing it closer to the International Space Station.

Measuring 10 feet in diameter and 41.5 feet in length, the Centaur upper stage uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its twin Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A-4-2 engines. The burn of the Centaur’s dual engines is expected to last a little more than seven minutes before engine cutoff and separation from Starliner. Following separation, the crew capsule carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on its own for the remainder of the journey to the space station.

Following its separation, the Atlas Centaur will land in the ocean near Australia.

NASA Television will provide continuous coverage leading up to docking at the space station and through hatch opening and welcome remarks.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test ULA Rocket Reaches Max Q

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Boeing’s Starliner capsule with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has reached Max Q. The milestone is the moment of peak aerodynamic pressure on the rocket.

Following Max Q will be Atlas V booster engine cutoff and separation.

Liftoff! NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Heads to Space Station

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket soars from the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 a.m. ET Wednesday, June 5, 2024, carrying a Boeing Starliner spacecraft for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA Television

We have liftoff! The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, are on a course to the International Space Station.

The crew is on a roughly 25.5-hour journey with rendezvous and docking expected at 12:15 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 6.

The crew flight test mission makes history in several ways. As the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Williams is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. The launch also marks the first crewed launch on the ULA Atlas V rocket and the first crewed launch on an Atlas-family class rocket since Gordon Cooper on the last Mercury program flight aboard “Faith 7” in May 1963.

Next up is Max Q, or the moment of peak aerodynamic pressure on the rocket.

Launch coverage on NASA+ will end shortly after Starliner orbital insertion, happening about 30 minutes from now. NASA Television will provide continuous coverage leading up to docking at the space station and through hatch opening and welcome remarks.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Access Arm Retracts

The crew access arm retracts from Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

We’re just minutes away from liftoff of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test that will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

At Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the crew access arm has retracted on the crew access tower.

The crew access arm lines up with the hatch of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, and it’s designed to rotate and retract at various speeds. The arm provides entry and emergency egress for astronauts and technicians into and out of the spacecraft.

Liftoff of Boeing’s Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket remains on schedule for 10:52 a.m. EDT.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Hatch Closed

Image of Boeing crews close the hatch to the Starliner capsule carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. — Boeing crews close the hatch to the Starliner capsule carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Photo credit: NASA Television

Just about one hour remains ahead of liftoff of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station.

Communication checks with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are complete. The hatch is now closed on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, named Calypso. Next up, a series of cabin leak checks and a cabin pressurization check will be completed.

For NASA missions to low Earth orbit, the Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56m), will hold four astronauts or a mix of crew and cargo.

Image NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore inside Boeing's Starliner spacecraft ahead of launch on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. — NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore inside Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft ahead of launch on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

Inside Starliner for this mission is about 759 pounds of cargo, which includes food, clothing, exercise gear, medical supplies, photo and media equipment, vehicle supplies and tools, and other items. A thumb drive containing about 3,500 images of artwork from children in 35 states and 66 different countries is also set to launch aboard Starliner tonight.

Wilmore is flying with two gold rings he had made for his father and brother that resemble the U.S. Navy astronaut pilot wing pin. He also brought shirts from his alma maters, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee. Williams brought shirts from the U.S. Naval Academy and the Sunita L. Williams Elementary School in Needham, Massachusetts. She also has a diver pin and two dog tags from her Labrador retrievers.

At 10:52 a.m. EDT, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the Starliner crew capsule from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following a roughly 25-hour journey, Starliner will rendezvous and dock with the space station at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, June 6.

Watch live coverage of today’s mission on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.