The Decision Is Made - Boeing Might Be Safe? But SpaceX Is SAFER!

Summary

In this video, Scott Manley discusses the challenges faced by Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was set to carry astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sita Williams to the International Space Station. Due to ongoing issues with the thrusters and helium leaks, NASA decided to switch their return to a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The video also covers the implications of this decision, including the impact on future missions and the unique situation of having two active crew spacecraft in operation.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has faced multiple delays and issues, including software problems, valve position problems, and thruster issues, which have affected its readiness for crewed missions.
• 👨‍🚀 Astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams, initially scheduled to return on a Starliner, will now use a SpaceX Crew Dragon due to concerns over the Starliner's thruster performance.
• 🔄 The first Starliner test flight encountered software issues that almost prevented it from reaching orbit, leading to a change in plans for subsequent missions.
• 🛠️ A second uncrewed test flight was delayed due to problems with valve positions and corrosion in the propulsion system, which required a teardown and rebuild.
• 🔧 Even after reaching the International Space Station, the Starliner faced further issues with wiring harnesses and parachute harnesses that needed to be addressed.
• 🛰️ Despite reaching the ISS, the Starliner's thrusters began to show performance outside of specifications, prompting an extended stay for Butch and Suni for further investigation.
• 🔬 Engineers have been working to replicate and understand the thruster issues on the ground, with theories including heat retention affecting Teflon seals in the thrusters' oxidizer valves.
• 🔄 The original plan for the Crew Dragon (Crew 9) has been disrupted by the Starliner's extended stay, leading to changes in the crew manifest and potential reconfiguration of the mission.
• 👥 The decision to switch astronauts from the Starliner to the Crew Dragon has implications for the crew manifest, with experienced astronauts potentially being prioritized for the return flight.
• 👕 The astronauts will need to use SpaceX suits for their return, as the Boeing suits are not compatible with the SpaceX spacecraft.
• 📈 This situation highlights the complexity and challenges of spaceflight, as well as the importance of safety and thorough investigation in human space exploration.

Q & A

What is the current status of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft?

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been facing several technical issues, including problems with valve positions, corrosion, wiring harnesses, parachute harnesses, and thrusters. Despite these challenges, it has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), but NASA has decided to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon for the return of astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams due to unresolved concerns with the Starliner's thrusters.

Why are astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, also known as 'B and S', staying longer on the ISS?

Butch and Sunita are staying longer on the ISS because NASA wants to further investigate the thruster issues with the Starliner spacecraft. As a result, they will return to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon instead of the Starliner, which was initially planned.

What was the initial plan for the Starliner's first crewed test flight?

The initial plan for the Starliner's first crewed test flight was to carry two astronauts to the ISS. However, due to various technical issues, the plan has been altered, and the spacecraft is now only carrying cargo and a plushy Kerbal toy.

What issues were identified during the Starliner's second uncrewed test flight?

During the second uncrewed test flight, problems with valve positions were discovered, leading to an aborted launch. The spacecraft had to be taken back for repairs, which included tearing down and rebuilding the propulsion system due to corrosion caused by the interaction between the propellant and moisture in the air.

What is the significance of the 'dog houses' on the Starliner spacecraft?

The 'dog houses' are structures on the side of the Starliner spacecraft that house the thrusters. One theory suggests that these structures may be retaining too much heat, leading to issues with the thrusters' performance during extended firings.

What modifications were made to the Soyuz spacecraft after the Columbia disaster in 2003?

After the Columbia disaster, the Soyuz spacecraft underwent modifications to become the Soyuz TMA series, which included extending the size of the couches and making other adjustments. This new version was used as a return vehicle for the Expedition 6 crew, who had to return to Earth on the Soyuz after their initial ride, the Space Shuttle, was lost.

Why was the launch of the Starliner's crewed test flight delayed in May?

The launch was delayed due to a chattering oxygen relief valve on the Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur upper stage. This required the entire booster to be rolled back for valve replacement, which took a month to complete.

What is the current plan for the return of Butch and Sunita to Earth?

The current plan is for Butch and Sunita to return to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, as opposed to the Starliner, due to the ongoing concerns with the Starliner's thruster performance.

How has the Starliner's issues impacted the schedule of other missions?

The Starliner's issues have caused a domino effect on the schedule of other missions. For instance, the Crew Dragon for the Crew-9 mission has been delayed because the Starliner is occupying its parking spot at the ISS.

What are the implications of having two different active crew spacecraft for the US?

Having two different active crew spacecraft provides the US with the luxury of choosing between them based on safety and mission requirements. It also ensures redundancy and flexibility in space travel, which is crucial for maintaining a continuous human presence in space.

What is the current contingency plan if there is an emergency on the ISS while the Starliner is undocked?

The current contingency plan involves the astronauts strapping themselves to the cargo area underneath the seats on the ISS, as the Starliner's suits are not compatible with SpaceX's suits, and there is no dedicated return spacecraft available during that period.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Starliner's Flight Challenges and Crew Adjustments

This paragraph discusses the journey of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which faced multiple setbacks including software issues on its first flight, valve problems leading to a launch abort in July 2021, and thruster issues during its mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The decision was made for astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, initially scheduled to return on Starliner, to use a SpaceX Crew Dragon instead due to safety concerns. The paragraph also touches on the history of the Starliner program, including its initial test flight failures and the eventual successful docking with the ISS in May 2022.

05:01

🔧 Engineering Efforts to Address Starliner's Thruster Issues

The second paragraph delves into the engineering challenges faced with Starliner's thrusters, which exhibited performance outside of specifications during the mission. Extensive testing at White Sands Missile Range aimed to replicate and understand the issues, with theories suggesting that heat retention in the 'dog houses' might be causing Teflon seals to distort. Despite some engines returning to normal performance in orbit, the risk could not be fully quantified, leading to the decision to switch the return vehicle for Wilmore and Williams to a Crew Dragon, impacting the crew manifest for the upcoming Crew 9 mission.

10:02

🛰 Contingencies and Crew Rotation Impacts on ISS

This paragraph outlines the implications of the decision to switch return vehicles for the ISS crew, including the need for additional SpaceX suits and the impact on the crew rotation for the upcoming Crew 9 mission. It discusses the potential reassignment of astronauts and the complexities of managing the limited seats on the spacecraft. The paragraph also highlights the unique situation of having two active crew spacecraft and the historical context of crew changes on the ISS, including instances where crews have used different vehicles for ascent and descent.

15:03

🌌 Record High Astronaut Numbers and ISS Crew Changes

The final paragraph touches on the potential record of having 22 humans in space at the same time due to overlapping missions, including the ISS crew change and a Blue Origin suborbital flight. It also discusses the history of Soyuz spacecraft changes on the ISS and the unique case of the Expedition 6 crew, who had to return to Earth on a Soyuz following the Columbia disaster. The paragraph concludes with a mention of Scott Manley's role as a spaceflight commentator and a note on the potential for future videos on related topics.

Keywords

💡Boeing Starliner

Boeing Starliner is a spacecraft developed by Boeing for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It is designed to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). In the video, the Starliner is discussed in the context of its development, testing, and the decision to switch astronauts' return vehicle to SpaceX's Crew Dragon due to concerns over the Starliner's thruster issues.

💡International Space Station (ISS)

The International Space Station is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. It serves as a research laboratory and living quarters for astronauts. The video discusses the ISS as the destination for the Boeing Starliner and the extended stay of astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sita Williams, who are now expected to return on a SpaceX spacecraft.

💡Astronauts

Astronauts are individuals trained by human spaceflight programs to command, pilot, or serve as crew members aboard spacecraft. The video specifically mentions astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sita Williams, who are known as 'B and Sunny' and are central to the narrative of the Starliner mission and their extended stay on the ISS.

💡SpaceX Crew Dragon

SpaceX Crew Dragon is a spacecraft designed for human spaceflight, developed by SpaceX for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The video discusses the Crew Dragon as the alternative return vehicle for astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sita Williams, due to concerns with the Boeing Starliner's thruster performance.

💡Thrust Issues

Thrust issues refer to problems with the spacecraft's propulsion system, specifically the thrusters. In the video, it is mentioned that the Starliner's thrusters are performing out of specification, which led to the decision to switch the return vehicle for the astronauts to the Crew Dragon.

💡Helium System Leaks

Helium system leaks are discussed as one of the technical challenges faced by the Starliner. Helium is used in the spacecraft's propulsion system, and leaks can affect the performance of the thrusters. The video explains that while helium leaks were a concern, they were not the primary issue leading to the decision to switch return vehicles.

💡Service Module

The service module is a part of the spacecraft that contains the engines and other systems necessary for propulsion. The video mentions that the thruster issues are suspected to be related to the service module, specifically the 'dog houses' where the engines are housed, potentially retaining too much heat.

💡Teflon Seals

Teflon seals are used in the spacecraft's engine valves. The video discusses how these seals might be expanding and distorting due to heat, leading to the thrusters not performing as expected. This is part of the investigation into the Starliner's thrust issues.

💡Undocking

Undocking refers to the process of a spacecraft separating from the ISS. The video mentions that the Starliner will need to undock to make room for the arrival of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which will bring new astronauts and suits to the ISS.

💡Space Tourism

Space tourism refers to the emerging industry of space travel for recreational purposes. The video briefly touches on the history of space tourism, mentioning how early space tourists would often travel to the ISS on one spacecraft and return on another, similar to the current situation with the Starliner and Crew Dragon.

💡Ballistic Re-entry

Ballistic re-entry is a steeper and faster re-entry trajectory than a normal descent, which can be more challenging and potentially riskier. The video recounts a historical event where a Soyuz spacecraft had to perform a ballistic re-entry due to technical issues, illustrating the risks associated with spacecraft return.

Highlights

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft prepares to carry astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station.

The astronauts, known as 'B and S', will spend two months on the ISS and are expected to return on a SpaceX spacecraft due to Starliner issues.

NASA's decision to switch the return spacecraft from Starliner to SpaceX was made after extensive testing and analysis.

The first Starliner test flight faced software issues that nearly prevented it from reaching orbit.

A second uncrewed test flight was planned but delayed multiple times due to valve position problems and corrosion issues.

The Starliner's successful launch in May 2022 to the ISS carried a plushy Kerbal as a symbol of safety confirmation.

Further issues with wiring harnesses and parachute harnesses were addressed before the crew test could proceed.

The Atlas 5 Starliner launch in June was delayed due to a chattering oxygen relief valve in the Centaur booster.

During the current mission, problems with the spacecraft's thrusters and helium leaks have been identified.

Engineers are investigating the thruster issues to understand and mitigate potential catastrophic failures.

Butch and Sunit will extend their stay on the ISS to allow for thorough investigation of the thruster problems.

The service module of the Starliner, which contains the problematic engines, will be jettisoned and cannot be tested post-mission.

Tests at White Sands have suggested that heat retention in the 'dog houses' may be causing thruster performance issues.

The risk associated with the thruster issues has not been quantified to a level that allows for safe crewed flight.

The original Crew Dragon mission (Crew 9) may be altered due to the need to accommodate the extended stay of Butch and Sunit.

The Starliner's departure from the ISS will require software updates and potentially affect the contingency return plans for the station.

A Soyuz crew changeover will temporarily increase the ISS population to 12, a significant number not seen since the shuttle era.

This is not the first time astronauts have switched spacecraft for return trips, with historical precedents including the Columbia disaster.

Transcripts

hello it's Scott Manley here three

months ago boing Starliner rolled out of

its integration facility getting ready

to carry two astronauts to the

International Space Station Barry

Wilmore and Sita Williams better known

as B and sunny and now even better known

beyond your average space flight nerd as

the story of this flight has been

carried by Major news channels on the

account of the fact that uh but and

sunny have spent the last two months on

the International Space Station and

aren't going home until next year and if

everything is going to plan they'll be

going home on a SpaceX spacecraft rather

than a Bo spacecraft that is the

decision which was announced yesterday

after weeks of testing analysis and

meetings on this subject it's decided

that instead of risking the crew on the

Starliner spacecraft which has a few

issues NASA is only going to send up two

astronauts on crew 9 and after a

six-month rotation but and sunny will

return home on that spacecraft initially

only two test flights had been planned

but on the very first Starliner flight

there were software issues which led to

the spacecraft almost not making it to

orbit and being unable to reach the

International Space Station so plans

were changed a second test flight with

no crew was planned and this one after

many delays was ready to launch at the

end of July

2021 that was when they found problems

with valve positions in the spacecraft

and uh they had to abort the launch take

it all the way back literally tear down

the propulsion system and rebuild it

because there were issues with a

corrosion due to the propellent

interacting with moisture in the air

apparently this led to basically like

almost a year delay it wasn't until May

of 2022 that they finally launched and

made it to the space station of course

carrying a little uh plushy Kerbal with

them too and so that proved that the

spacecraft was finally safe and so with

that they proved the spacecraft was safe

for flight they could move forward with

the crew test right but no no they had

to go and fix issues with wiring

harnesses that were potentially

combustible they had uh issues with the

parachute harnesses and they had to fix

those but eventually in may they were

ready to go in May the atlas 5 Starliner

rolls out to the pad uh Butch and sunny

are sitting on board counting down to

launch and then bizarrely the launch

ends up being delayed because the

booster has a problem the outlas 5 in

Centaur has been an incredibly reliable

booster but in this case there is a

chattering oxygen relief valve that

means it's opening and closing very

quickly and making a you know a sound

and so they have to roll the entire

booster back to fix this and replacing a

valve on a centor uh is Complicated by

the fact that the Cent

is stabilized by its own pressure so if

you're going to take a pressure valve

off it'll lose that pressure it needs a

whole supporting structure to hold up

the tank while they're performing the

valve replacement that's why it took

them a month before they finally

launched in early June and on this

flight the one that we are currently in

the middle of they have problems with

their thrusters there's two things first

of all there's uh leaks in the helium

system and look helium is a tricky

bugger it will try to escape via any

opportunity you give so like okay you

know people solve these problems over

time the the bigger problem is that the

thrusters they are using to control the

spacecraft are starting to perform out

of spec and the systems warning them

that they're having to take the

thrusters offline because if the

Thruster is not performing you know to

it specification there's a chance that

something is going wrong it's damaging

itself it's potentially going to fail in

some more catastrophic way but they're

able to work through this and approach

the space station safely and perform a

docking to the ISS and so now they're

safely at the space station they can uh

stretch their legs get on board have

some fun talk to their new friends

because they're going to be hanging out

these people for a little longer than

they expected I mean the initial mission

was supposed to be a couple of weeks but

in the interest of safety um Engineers

on the ground want to investigate these

Thruster issues and see if there's

something that they can understand they

you know they look at the helium issues

and it turns out that while a lot of the

talk early on it's about helium leaks

that's not the showstopper it's these

thrusters and it's not that thrusters

are necessarily performing that far out

of spec but as an engineer you want to

understand what is going on because if

you don't understand these small out of

spec me uh readings could actually be

harbingers of something much more

catastrophic about to happen and we see

this all the time in aviation where

minor issues get ignored and

misunderstood and they turn into major

disasters so Butch and sunny find out

early on that they're going to be

spending a little extra time on the

International Space Station meanwhile

the boing and aerojet Rocket D engineers

get to work trying to replicate the

problems that they have seen uh with the

engines and so they're doing engine

firings at white stands sand test range

and I'm sure over the last 2 and a half

months these Engineers have been putting

in a lot of overtime trying to

understand this problem because these

engines are all in the service module

and the service module is going to get

ditched it's going to burn up so they

won't be able to bring them back for

testing the engines sit in these uh

structures on the side of the spacecraft

they're in a cluster here these are

called dog houses and one of the

theories is that the dog houses are

allowing too much heat to be retained

and so when they're doing these a lot of

Thruster firings over time the heat is

reaching higher temperatures than it has

during the tests and the tests at White

Sands have shown that the some of the

Teflon seals used to drive the valves

are expanding and distorting and

restricting the the oxidizer valves

which in turn means that the thrusters

aren't turning on with as high a

performance as expected and that sounds

totally plausible as an explanation but

you know there's a few questions still

for example they subsequently did tests

of the engines on in orbit and some of

the engines returned to normal

performance so they need to figure out

how the Teflon seals are you know not

getting in the way after they were

getting in the way they need to quantify

this risk and frankly they haven't been

able to quantify the risk to the level

that is required to trust it for to put

crew on board and there's two concerns

here one is that the spacecraft could

would just fail to reach re-entry which

I think is highly unlikely because they

still have Reserve thrusters on the

capsule itself but equally during

departure from the ISS they could get

into a situation where the the

trajectory is going to carry it back

into the ISS and cause some damage and

there just really isn't the knowledge to

understand this problem that's why Butch

and sunny are going to be switching

their return ride from a Starliner to

the crew n dragon and that was

originally supposed to have launched by

now but it has been delayed because

Starliner has been occupying its parking

spot at the space station now a crew

dragon has four seats and the original

plan for crew 9 was going to be Zena

Cardman Nick hag and Stephanie Wilson

along with Ros Cosmos Cosmonaut

Alexander gorinov but of course if

they're going to have two extra

passengers on the way down they need to

get rid of two people and it's not clear

who is actually going to fly on crew n

now you might think that Zena Cardman

and Nick hag would be the two because

they were in the center seats and they

were training for that role she was the

mission Commander but Zena is a rookie

she's never been to the ISS and NASA

wants any spacecraft going to the ISS to

have crew on board that has that

experience the Ross Cosmos Cosa

Alexander coronov he has no ISS

experience either so uh if Ros Cosmos

requ Rees him to be on board that means

that Zena can't go and so that would

suggest then that Nick ha has to become

the commander so I would bet if Ros

Cosmos does their thing that it'll be

Nick and Alexander but that's all up in

the air right now they could pick

somebody completely different now

because the Dave Clark's suits used on

the boing are not compatible with

spacex's suits they'll have to bring up

a pair of suits for the crew there there

is a SpaceX suit on orbit but that is

the the contingency suit for Tracy

Caldwell dieson who flew up in a soyu

and they want to make sure that she has

an alternate way home as well but before

crew n can get to the space station

Starliner is going to have to undock and

free up its parking spot that'll mean

software updates which you know we've

heard about I'm sure the undock and the

return to Earth will probably not be a

big deal but you know in the interests

of safety this is what they've decided

and look I think we should pause for a

second and realize what a unique

situation this is this this is the first

time the US has had two different active

crew spacecraft we have the luxury of

being able to choose between one or the

other if this had happened 5 years ago

when the other return option was Su I'm

not sure NASA would be quite as eager to

switch the crew off of a Starliner which

has some minor issues over to soyu

because soyu has its issues too indeed

in the last couple of years we had

soyu's ms23 losing its cooling circuit

and the crew had to remain on station

for a whole year as a a replacement

spacecraft or replacement so use was

sent up and don't be under the

impression that Starliner is some

ridiculously dangerous death trap

because as of right now it is still the

preferred return option in a contingency

scenario if there was a disaster on the

space station right now but and sunny

would fly back to Earth on the Starliner

because that is their best option but

yes uh when Starliner undocks to make

room for Dra crew 9 that means there's

going to be a few days where they don't

have a dedicated return spacecraft and

the current contingency plans there is

they basically strap themselves to the

cargo underneath the seats in uh an

emergency scenario now this highly

unlikely this is going to happen but

that's it yeah they're just going to lay

down there and uh their suits aren't

going to be useful so we'd better hope

that the the dragon doesn't have any

issues but presumably soon after that

crew 9 will get there with SpaceX suits

for them and everything will be fine you

know but and sunny will spend another 6

months on the space station and their

8-day flight to space will turn into 8

months in space and I'm pretty sure at

this point the this will be career

capping uh you trip for these guys now I

did wonder if they would send anything

back in Starliner some cargo like I I

think the spacecraft might actually need

a bit of mass some ballast but I'm sure

that they'll look around the station

look for some low profile things that

can be sent back as cargo maybe they'll

find something small you know something

that could fit inside Starline or

something which may be even inexorably

linked to Starliner like a Bo's

reputation but before Starliner is going

to leave there's going to be a suu crew

change over so we're going to have an

extra crew come up in the soyu and for

as a space nerd I noticed right away

that's going to be 12 people on the

International Space Station which is

more than they've had for a very long

time the last time they had that many

people people would be in the shuttle

era towards the end they had two soos

launched and they would La docked and

they would have a shuttle come up and uh

the most they actually had in that

scenario was 13 people seven people from

the shuttle and six from the two soos

the last time we had 13 people in the

space station one of the soyu's crew was

Tracy Caldwell Dyson who is currently on

the ISS as a member of a soyu's crew so

while 12 isn't a record for the

International Space Station it's a big

number also in the next week we have a

Polaris Dawn and uh a blue origin

suborbital flight with six people on

board there's a chance if these things

line up that we will have 22 humans in

space at the same time for you a very

short amount of time but people have

also been asking um you know is this the

first time that we've had crew go up in

one spacecraft and come down on another

and no it's not we've actually had this

quite a lot people going up on the

shuttle and then coming back and so

things like that in the early days of

the International Space Station the plan

was that the crews would be flowing up

uh on the space shuttle and they would

perform their crew rotation and the soyu

would be kept as a sort of emergency

spacecraft right so you would have a

soyu crew come up and then they would

switch over to the soyu that was there

and bring it back and so that's how they

would refresh the station like uh Escape

system and these short flights to change

the soyu over this is how rosos MOS got

started with the whole Space tourism

thing they would send people up on one

and they would come back this would be

just basically a a refresh of the

spacecraft and back in 2002 Lance Bass a

singer with nyn he was training to go on

one of these tourist flights and

ultimately that didn't work they didn't

get the funding it fell through so he

didn't fly instead an experienced crew

did the change over and we got like an

Issa astronaut getting a small time and

then early 20

23 the Colombia disaster happened and

that meant the Expedition 6 crew who had

flown to the ISS on the space shuttle

now had to return to Earth on the soyu

instead and that crew was Nikolai

badarin Ken Bowersox who you might have

seen the last few weeks because he is on

all those press conferences with NASA

about talking about Starliner I'm not

sure what his official title is but he's

you know in charge of a lot of this

stuff so he knows about uh you know the

potential problems with switching crew

between return vehicles and the third

crew member is Don pit and you might

know him he's made some great little

videos showing effects in zero gravity

he's done fantastic photography and he's

going back to space next month on a soyu

what are the odds of that huh but it

gets better because you see that so that

they had to use as a return vehicle that

was the first of the so Ed TMA series

that's basically they'd extended the

size of the couches a little they'd made

a few other modifications so it was

technically a test flight of a new

version of a Space Capsule and on return

they actually had some issues with the

spacecraft and it performed a ballistic

re-entry so yes they had problems with

their re-entry as well and that is a

story I will tell in a different video

I'm Scott Manley fly safe

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