NASA Eyes Plan to Get Boeing Back on Track as SpaceX Alternative

[kdahm]

The Starliner mission was a lot more dramatic than Boeing and NASA was letting on at the time, some scary stuff in this interview with the crew: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/t ... rs-failed/

I had no idea it was this bad.

"I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point. I don't know if we can. And matter of fact, I'm thinking we probably can't. So there we are, loss of 6DOF control, four aft thrusters down, and I'm visualizing orbital mechanics. The space station is nose down. So we're not exactly level with the station, but below it. If you're below the station, you're moving faster. That's orbital mechanics. It's going to make you move away from the station. So I'm doing all of this in my mind. I don't know what control I have. What if I lose another thruster? What if we lose comm? What am I going to do?"

At this point, someone needs to send all of C-suite guys at Boeing a wakizashi a piece, each wrapped in rice paper, with cards asking them to make appropriate use of these fine gifts...

A lottery to select the four who will crew the next Starliner test mission.....

[Belushi TD]

A lottery to select the four who will crew the next Starliner test mission.....

Sooooo.... are the four who get selected the winners or the losers?

Belushi TD

[kdahm]

A lottery to select the four who will crew the next Starliner test mission.....

Sooooo.... are the four who get selected the winners or the losers?

Belushi TD

Well, they get to fly up and return on a Boeing product. Would you do it in a Starliner after the last three flights?

[Poohbah]

I doubt the Boeing C-suite guys have the sort of brains that can figure out orbital mechanics. Wakizashi FTW.

[brovane]

New NASA Administrator Isaacman didn't pull any punches with Boeing and NASA. The incident has been designated as a Type A mishap. Originally no mishap had been declared because of concern over the Starliner's program reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if some NASA Administrators are asked to resign over this.

Loss of the single remaining redundant thruster, for this control axis, would have resulted in a loss of crew."

https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/20245588 ... 56372.2440

Link to full report.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads ... mrc=76e561

[warshipadmin]

The summary at the front of the report is succinct and devastating. Unfortunately parts of the report are redacted, especially how the Boeing engineers screwed up on the O ring design in the helium system.

[jemhouston]

You would think NASA would always get the O-Rings right.

[warshipadmin]

Yes, the Parker design manual is easy to use and authoritative. They didn't use enough compression. The O rings may also have been attacked by the oxidiser which leaked because they used Teflon seals instead of the recommended metal ones on the oxidiser side.

[Johnnie Lyle]

New NASA Administrator Isaacman didn't pull any punches with Boeing and NASA. The incident has been designated as a Type A mishap. Originally no mishap had been declared because of concern over the Starliner's program reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if some NASA Administrators are asked to resign over this.

Loss of the single remaining redundant thruster, for this control axis, would have resulted in a loss of crew."

https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/20245588 ... 56372.2440

Link to full report.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads ... mrc=76e561

They should be, for oh so many reasons.

The whole non-SpaceX rocketry field needs to have the lead booted out of their ass, if only to make sure SpaceX stays lean and hungry, instead of developing the complacency that characterized the entire US Space industry after the Berlin Wall fell.

Relying on Musk’s inner demons driving him to Mars is not a viable space policy.

[clancyphile]

New NASA Administrator Isaacman didn't pull any punches with Boeing and NASA. The incident has been designated as a Type A mishap. Originally no mishap had been declared because of concern over the Starliner's program reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if some NASA Administrators are asked to resign over this.

Loss of the single remaining redundant thruster, for this control axis, would have resulted in a loss of crew."

https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/20245588 ... 56372.2440

Link to full report.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads ... mrc=76e561

Any word on when Boeing's project manager for Starliner receives a wakizashi wrapped in rice paper?

[brovane]

New NASA Administrator Isaacman didn't pull any punches with Boeing and NASA. The incident has been designated as a Type A mishap. Originally no mishap had been declared because of concern over the Starliner's program reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if some NASA Administrators are asked to resign over this.

Loss of the single remaining redundant thruster, for this control axis, would have resulted in a loss of crew."

https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/20245588 ... 56372.2440

Link to full report.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads ... mrc=76e561

Any word on when Boeing's project manager for Starliner receives a wakizashi wrapped in rice paper?

Judging by how things go at Boeing, I think project managers that mess up are promoted.

[brovane]

New NASA Administrator Isaacman didn't pull any punches with Boeing and NASA. The incident has been designated as a Type A mishap. Originally no mishap had been declared because of concern over the Starliner's program reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if some NASA Administrators are asked to resign over this.

Loss of the single remaining redundant thruster, for this control axis, would have resulted in a loss of crew."

https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/20245588 ... 56372.2440

Link to full report.
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads ... mrc=76e561

They should be, for oh so many reasons.

The whole non-SpaceX rocketry field needs to have the lead booted out of their ass, if only to make sure SpaceX stays lean and hungry, instead of developing the complacency that characterized the entire US Space industry after the Berlin Wall fell.

Relying on Musk’s inner demons driving him to Mars is not a viable space policy.

To be in a fly on the wall as Jared "Rook" Isaacman was briefed on CFT-1 and the entire Starliner program.

He doesn't come across as the type of leader to suffer fools. Listening to Isaacman talk about all the systematic failures at NASA and Boeing before, during and after the flight test during the press conference I could get a sense that he was not happy. He did the right thing by being transparent and getting everything out there. Of course this is the guy that Democrats had been so upset about. He also knows how things should work because he has flown twice on Crew Dragon. He also worked closely with SpaceX engineers, he knows what competency and good leadership looks like.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Snark:
Hey, if Musk & China want to put data-centres into orbit, how about a rotation of Boeing managers ??
/

[clancyphile]

Have Boeing's project managers defect to China? Human Farwell Dossiers...

[kdahm]

They're rolling the SLS back to the VAB, because they can't load helium into something on an upper stage. That pretty much rules out March for launch.

Hopefully, there are some NASA administrators having tea and explaining things to Isaacman. Sans Jaffa cakes.

[Straker]

Isaacman has a track record of saying that SLS is a waste of money but now he is administrator he can't cancel it due to how NASA funding is structured by Congress.

Realistically I can't see Boeing every getting to the point that NASA thinks they are reliable enough. Blue Origin with some kind of Blue Moon derivative seem more likely at this point. Probably about the time Startship makes everything else in service seem like small fry.

[Craiglxviii]

You would think NASA would always get the O-Rings right.

Oh come on, it isn’t like NASA fucked up massively with o-rings befo… oh wait

[jemhouston]

You would think NASA would always get the O-Rings right.

Oh come on, it isn’t like NASA fucked up massively with o-rings befo… oh wait

When it happened, I had forgotten about the launch and was watching "The Price is Right" at home. The fact I missed watching it happen live I count as a blessing. Going into work at JSC that afternoon was awful.

[clancyphile]

They're rolling the SLS back to the VAB, because they can't load helium into something on an upper stage. That pretty much rules out March for launch.

Hopefully, there are some NASA administrators having tea and explaining things to Isaacman. Sans Jaffa cakes.

Too bad he can't just take the approach Kim Jong-Il took with a translator who didn't make things clear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfLbxHk ... Rvcg%3D%3D