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.