Boeing Embarrassed as ‘Stuck’ Astronauts to Return with SpaceX
Summary
TLDRIn this Cold Fusion episode, the focus is on Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft, which left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for months due to mechanical issues. Originally an 8-day mission, it has now turned into an 8-month ordeal. Despite Boeing's earlier reputation for reliability, the Starliner has faced numerous problems, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. NASA has deemed the spacecraft unsafe, deciding to return the astronauts using a SpaceX Dragon capsule instead. The video explores the impact on Boeing's reputation and the challenges faced by the astronauts during their extended stay in space.
Takeaways
- 🚀 Two astronauts from Boeing's Starliner are stranded in space due to mechanical issues, turning their 8-day mission into an 8-month ordeal.
- 😮 Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, chosen by NASA alongside SpaceX's Dragon, has faced multiple technical failures, raising concerns about its safety.
- 🔧 The current mission's issues include helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters, leading to uncertainty about the astronauts' safe return.
- 👨🚀 NASA and Boeing are at odds regarding the safety of the Starliner, with NASA ultimately deciding to bring the astronauts back using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.
- 🛰️ The International Space Station (ISS) is equipped with systems that recycle water and generate oxygen, ensuring the astronauts' survival during their extended stay.
- 💪 Astronauts are trained for such scenarios and maintain their physical and mental health through rigorous routines, including exercise and communication with Earth.
- 💡 The situation highlights the challenges and risks associated with space travel, as well as the importance of reliable technology in ensuring astronaut safety.
- 🛠️ Boeing's reputation has been severely damaged, with the Starliner project being 7 years late and $1.5 billion over budget.
- 📉 The comparison between SpaceX and Boeing is unfavorable for Boeing, as SpaceX has been consistently successful in its missions to the ISS.
- 🎓 The video also promotes Brilliant.org, a platform for learning about complex topics like rocket physics and orbital mechanics through interactive lessons.
Q & A
What caused the delay in the return of the two astronauts from the International Space Station?
-Mechanical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, caused the delay in the return of the two astronauts.
How long was the original mission of the astronauts supposed to last, and how long might it actually last?
-The original mission was supposed to last 8 days, but due to the mechanical issues, it could extend to 8 months.
What are the two main problems identified with the Starliner spacecraft?
-The two main problems are helium leaks in the propulsion system and malfunctioning thrusters.
How did NASA and Boeing respond to the problems with the Starliner spacecraft?
-NASA and Boeing engineers are working together to troubleshoot the problems, but they have differing opinions on the safety of the spacecraft. NASA ultimately decided to bring the astronauts back on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
What contingency plan does NASA have for returning the astronauts to Earth?
-NASA plans to bring the astronauts back to Earth using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft instead of the Starliner.
How has Boeing's reputation been affected by the issues with the Starliner spacecraft?
-Boeing's reputation has been negatively affected, with the Starliner issues adding to a series of mishaps in 2024, raising concerns about the company's reliability.
What are the physical and psychological challenges astronauts face during prolonged stays in space?
-Prolonged stays in space can lead to muscle atrophy, bone density loss, cardiovascular changes, and psychological challenges such as stress and isolation.
How do astronauts maintain their mental and physical health during extended missions on the International Space Station?
-Astronauts maintain their health by following a strict diet, exercising at least 2.5 hours per day, sticking to a daily work routine, and staying in contact with people on Earth.
How does the International Space Station handle essential supplies like food, water, and oxygen?
-The ISS recycles water and generates oxygen through electrolysis, and food is regularly resupplied via cargo missions.
What are some of the key features of the Starliner spacecraft?
-The Starliner is a reusable spacecraft designed to carry seven astronauts or a mix of crew and cargo. It can also be launched using different rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9.
Outlines
🚀 Stranded Astronauts: Boeing's Space Mission in Peril
The video introduces a crisis involving two astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, whose 8-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been extended to potentially 8 months due to mechanical issues. This episode explores the challenges they face, the uncertain safety of their spacecraft, and the connection to Cold Fusion's most popular video on space disasters.
🔧 Starliner Troubles: Helium Leaks and Thruster Failures
Boeing's Starliner has encountered multiple technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. These problems, detected before and after the spacecraft's launch, have raised concerns about the safety of the astronauts' return journey. NASA and Boeing are working to address these issues, but disagreements between the two entities complicate the resolution. A contingency plan involves possibly returning the astronauts via a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
🧠 Survival in Space: The Psychological and Physical Challenges
Extended time in space presents significant physical and psychological challenges for astronauts. The video explains how astronauts on the ISS are trained to handle such situations, detailing their routines for maintaining physical health and mental well-being. It also highlights the ISS's capabilities for sustaining life, such as oxygen recycling and food resupply, but emphasizes the mental strain of prolonged isolation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡International Space Station (ISS)
💡Boeing Starliner
💡Helium leaks
💡Thruster malfunctions
💡Commercial Crew Program
💡SpaceX Dragon spacecraft
💡Microgravity
💡Astronaut training
💡NASA
💡Space travel
Highlights
Boeing's Starliner astronauts are stranded in space, turning an 8-day mission into a potential 8-month ordeal.
The Starliner spacecraft, made by Boeing, encountered mechanical issues that delayed the astronauts' return to Earth.
This incident mirrors a popular Cold Fusion episode titled 'Three Men Lost in Space,' sparking a new episode on this real-life situation.
The Starliner mission was intended to test and evaluate the spacecraft's safety and performance for future astronaut transport.
Boeing's reputation, once strong in the space industry, has been severely damaged by a series of failures and delays.
The Starliner spacecraft suffered from multiple helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, raising concerns about its safety.
NASA and Boeing engineers are at odds over the spacecraft's safety, with NASA ultimately deciding it is unsafe for the astronauts' return.
NASA made a last-minute decision to bring the stranded astronauts back using a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
The two astronauts will remain in space for an additional 8 months, returning in February 2025 instead of June 2024.
Extended stays in space pose significant physical and psychological challenges, including muscle atrophy and mental health issues.
The ISS is equipped with systems to recycle water and generate oxygen, ensuring the astronauts' survival during the extended mission.
Astronauts maintain their physical and mental health through strict routines, including exercise and regular communication with Earth.
The Starliner mission's failure is another blow to Boeing, which has faced multiple challenges and delays in recent years.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft has been successfully flying crewed missions to the ISS for over three years, contrasting with Boeing's struggles.
This situation highlights the importance of rigorous testing and the challenges of space travel, offering valuable lessons for future missions.
Transcripts
this video was brought to you by
brilliant hi welcome to another episode
of Cold Fusion two astronauts from
Boeing Styer Starliner are now awaiting
a decision on when they can return home
from space after 9 weeks on the
International Space Station NASA now
says mechanical issues with the
Starliner could turn their planned 8-day
Mission into 8 months for those who've
been watching cold fusion you might know
that the most popular video on this
channel is about the 13 disaster which I
titled three men Lost in Space so when I
saw this story I knew I had to make an
episode on it for astronauts Sita Sunny
Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore what
was supposed to be an 8-day trip back in
early June has turned into months and
the worst part there was a lot of
uncertainty over whether their
spacecraft was safe or not this meant
that there was no specific return date
for them imagine what they must be
feeling up there the current situation
really does capture one's imagination
why exactly are two astronauts stuck in
space what went wrong is there enough
food and supplies for such a massive
change of plans there's also a last
minute update to the story that reflects
terribly on Boeing so buckle up as we
dive into this
[Music]
story you are watching cold fusion
[Music]
TV for those who don't know the
International Space Station is a large
spacecraft that orbits the earth roughly
at an average altitude of 400 km it's a
collaborative Space Project between NASA
Russia's Ross Cosmos the European Space
Agency Japan's Aerospace Exploration
Agency and the Canada space agency its
purpose is to conduct scientific
research in astrobiology astronomy
meteorology and more throughout the year
many missions take place in relation to
the ISS whether it's cargo resupplying
or scientific experiments the route to
the Space Station is often
busy the astronauts in question Sunni
and but were part of one such mission in
June 2024 however their primary goal was
a little bit different they were going
to test and evaluate the spacecraft that
they'll be making a journey in the new
Starliner they would report on its
performance mainly how safe it was and
if it was able to transport astronauts
to and from the space station the plan
was to stay on the International Space
Station for 8 days while conducting
research and Performing day-to-day
routine operations for the space station
but here's the punchline as alluded to
the Starliner spacecraft is made by
Boeing 2024 was already one of the worst
years for the company and now some
astronaut stranded in space can be added
to the pile of mishaps so what exactly
is Boeing Starliner and where did it go
[Music]
wrong almost 10 years ago in September
24th 14 Boeing and SpaceX were chosen by
NASA as the two companies to help
develop transportation for astronauts to
travel to and from the ISS and other low
orbit sites by 2017 Boeing had won a
$4.2 billion contract to complete and
certify its Starliner class of
spacecrafts and Space X won a similar
contract for its Dragon spacecraft but
was valued at less $2.6 billion the
Starliner actually had some pretty
competitive features for example it's a
reusable vessel meaning that it could
potentially be used up to 10 times
before requiring any refurbishment its
capacity was Seven astronauts or a mix
of crew and cargo it's also modular in
essence so it can be launched using
other Rockets like spacex's Falcon 9 so
it's clear that NASA at the time valued
Boeing's reliability and track record
particularly over Space X who was more
of a wild card than the established
Boeing even 10 years ago Boeing was
still a reliable name in the industry
one of the best from early contributions
to space travel to helping on the actual
design of the International Space
Station itself and its construction to
commercial space efforts Boeing was
always going to be the top choice for
NASA but that was then and this is now
2024 has seen Boeing's reputation
absolutely dragg through the dirt but
even before there were a few warning
signs that this mission may not be
smooth sailing the Starliner Space
Capsule failed to reach the proper orbit
during an unmanned test flight today and
there is conc concern that failure could
leave the US scrambling to get its
astronauts into space in 2019 the first
unmanned test flight was unsuccessful
due to a software issue a second test
flight in 2022 was a bit better but
there were issues with calling and
Thruster systems the latter a
foreshadowing of what was to come the
current Mission with Sunni and Butch is
the first crude test mission to the
space station and while it successfully
reached the ISS and dock successfully
NASA would have likely been sorely
disappointed with what happened
[Music]
next Starliner problems could be
categorized into two categories helium
leaks and Thruster malfunctions the
issues on the current Mission started
even before its launch a helium leak was
detected in the propulsion system due to
a damaged seal and after the spacecraft
reached orbit there were two more helium
leaks identified along with two smaller
leaks post docking then there's the
issue with the thrusters so the
spacecraft had 28 reaction control
system thrusters five out of those 28
thrusters malfunctioned and this
temporarily delayed the docking process
now four of them have been restored by
engineers and tests performed after
docking show that most of the thrusters
were okay but one of them is still not
performing as expected the helium leaks
and Thruster issues through the
confidence of the safe return of the
crew into question the Boeing and NASA
teams now had to troubleshoot the
problems from the ground and determine
if the styliner spacecraft is safe for a
return Journey NASA had mentioned plans
to bring in additional propulsion
experts to further evaluate the issues
with the Starliner quote we brought in
folks from the robotic space flight
community at Glenn Research Center and
at the Godard space flight center at JPL
they're used to analyzing propulsion
systems when spacecraft are millions of
miles away and they provided some useful
input to us end quote that was Ken Bower
Sox associate administrator for NASA's
space operations Mission directorate
with that being said the two companies
seem at odds on August 7th Boeing stated
quote we still believe in the styliner
capability and it's flight rationale but
Nessa would say yeah we don't really
agree Ken Bower Sox again quote weave
NASA and Boeing had very honest
discussions with each other they have
confidence in their vehicle that's what
we like to hear from them but what the
NASA team thinks is important and when
we get to a decision we'll work through
it
together in an embarrassing twist the
agency had a contingency plan to bring
the two astronauts back on a SpaceX
spacecraft NASA and Boeing Engineers
disagreeing no consensus on whether or
not they really understand what the
problem is so unless they really
understand the problem they may need to
bring the crew back down on a SpaceX
Dragon spacecraft of course SpaceX has
been flying dragon uh to the ISS with
astronauts for over 3 years and just a
last minute update to The Saga I was
already rendering this episode when the
news broke NASA finally made the call
and deemed the Boeing spacecraft unsafe
to fly the two astronauts will indeed be
hitching a ride back with the SpaceX
Dragon spacecraft scheduled for takeoff
on September 24th and they'll be
returning in February
2025 the dragon capsu has room for four
but two of those seats will be empty and
that's in order to accommodate the two
stranded astronauts meanwhile the
stricken Boeing Starliner will return
turned back to Earth
unmanned it seemed that NASA had little
confidence in Boeing because the
decision was unanimous on the decision
Steve Stitch the manager of NASA's
commercial crew program would State
quote there was just too much
uncertainty in the prediction of the
thrusters the decision to use space X
instead of Boeing brings to an end many
weeks of uncertainty for the astronauts
but unfortunately they're still going to
be stuck in space for 8 months longer
than planned and now automatically the
question floods our mind
how are they going to survive up there
what will they eat what will they do are
they going to go
insane for those familiar with space
travel or have watched a movie or two on
the topic you'd know that astronauts are
trained specifically for scenarios like
this they go through rigorous training a
strict diet regimen and various
psychological tests to help them survive
situations like this but even then
prolonged stays in space pose
significant physical and psychological
challenges just take a second to imagine
the situation you're in space in an
enclosed craft with the same routine you
haven't seen your friends or your family
in weeks and you don't know when you're
going to return it sucks but in terms of
oxygen supply the ISS is equipped with
advanced technology and systems that
recycles water from urine sweat and
moisture and then generates oxygen
through electrolysis food is resupplied
via cargo missions regularly so that
should take care of the Essentials as a
side note the International Space
Station has multiple docking
capabilities and according to Nessa
eight spaceships can be connected to the
space station at once it's also known
that extended time in microgravity can
lead to muscle atrophy bone density loss
cardiovascular changes and much more to
mitigate that astronauts are told to
keep their recommended intake of food
and water and exercise at least 2.5
hours per day to prevent muscle and bone
loss but what about their mental health
the recommendation is to maintain a
daily work routine stick to a schedule
for Sleep exercise as needed and perhaps
most importantly keep in touch with
people from Earth you can actually make
a phone call directly to people on Earth
using radio signals and they also have
Wi-Fi on the space station but keep in
mind that connection is relatively slow
and doesn't quite operate the same way
as it does on Earth luckily there are
other workers present in the ISS so the
two astronauts would be completely alone
by themselves the entire time
there's really going to be a lot of
finger wagging at Boeing the Starliner
was 7 years late and $1.5 billion over
budget whether it's just bad luck or yet
another case of deep rooted incompetence
remains to be seen but some of the
executives within NASA's boardroom would
be raising a few eyebrows at this event
space X is routinely flying crude
missions to the ISS using its Dragon
spacecraft so when you compare them and
Boeing it's not a good look launching
objects into space is pretty complicated
stuff but have you ever wondered what
the mechanics are behind such a feat
well fortunately there's a fun and easy
way to learn about that with
brilliant.org brilliant is where you
learn by doing with thousands of
interactive lessons and maths science
data analytics programming and AI they
have a course by real engineering which
covers rocket physics orbital mechanics
and much more each lesson on brilliant
allows you to play with Concepts a
method proven to be six times more
effective than what watching lecture
videos plus all content on brilliant is
crafted by teachers researchers and
professionals from MIT cowtech Duke
Microsoft Google and more learn at your
own pace to brush up on a project for
work or just for your own
self-development and curiosity to try
everything brilliant has to offer for a
full 30 days visit brilliant.org
coldfusion you'll also get 20% off an
annual premium subscription so the idea
of space travel is not just the journey
but the things that we can learn along
Ong the way and the things that can be
applied across different fields of study
and to humanity as a whole the current
situation presents an incredible
Challenge and while I'm sure that the
agency will learn a lot from this
exercise for future missions it's
critical that the two astronauts return
safely so that's where we stand with the
two astronauts waiting for a ride back
to Earth so what do you guys think about
the situation in the context of growing
concerns in their commercial airline
business what do you think Boeing can do
to regain public Trust
some housekeeping once again part two of
my collaboration with ABC Australia is
now live on their channel the second
episode follows the current state of
advanced scams and how to protect
yourself check it out it's pretty
interesting all right that's about it
from me my name is toogo and thanks for
watching and I'll see you again soon for
the next episode cheers guys have a good
one I don't
know what
[Music]
cold fusion it's new thinking
Browse More Related Video
NASA Decides Boeing's Starliner Is Too Risky For Return | SpaceX Crew Dragon Takes Over
NASA says astronauts stuck in space until 2025 will return on SpaceX capsule — not Boeing Starliner
Indian-Origin Astronaut Sunita Williams TRAPPED in Space! | Boeing Starliner Disaster | Dhruv Rathee
The Decision Is Made - Boeing Might Be Safe? But SpaceX Is SAFER!
SpaceX Completing a Boeing Mission: NASA’s Backup Plan, Explained | WSJ
Is Boeing Giving Up On Starliner??? NASA Says Something Weird Happening on Starliner...
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)