Space / Aerospace / Aircraft

[Airband]

Biden’s New Chopper Is Demoted After Scorching White House Lawn

New presidential helicopters delayed under $5 billion program

A Marine One fleet Sikorsky VH-3D helicopter, top, lands near a Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin VH-92 Patriot helicopter, at Delaware Air National Guard Base

Tue Apr 23, 2024 - Bloomberg News
 By Anthony Capaccio and Jennifer Jacobs

The new presidential helicopter has been demoted to backup duty because Lockheed Martin Corp. still can’t figure out how to keep it from scorching the White House’s South Lawn.

The VH-92 Patriot is landing only on paved runways for now, flying missions with White House officials or Secret Service staff instead of carrying President Joe Biden. The problem is down to an issue first identified in 2018 — the helicopter’s spinning rotors and engine exhaust sometimes scorch the grass where it lands.

With its emblematic “white top” paint job, Marine One — its designation when the president is on board — is as much a symbol of the US presidency as Air Force One. Crowds of reporters and White House guests often gather to watch the president depart from its traditional takeoff spot on the South Lawn.

For the time being, the helicopter doing that job will remain the VH-3D Sea King, which like the VH-92 is is built by Lockheed’s Sikorsky unit.

Lockheed has so far delivered 20 VH-92 helicopters to the Marine Corps under the $5 billion program, Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick said. She said the company believes it’s found a fix and will start testing soon.

“We have been working in close collaboration with our customer and have an agreed upon landing zone solution with testing planned to validate and ensure the aircraft meets that specific operational requirement,” Chadwick said.

According to a White House official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, engineering and design work is underway to see if fixes can be made to prevent grass damage under hot environmental conditions when rotors are turning.

The current fleet of presidential helicopters entered duty in 1975, a year after Richard Nixon resigned, walked across the South Lawn and waved the victory sign from the steps of Marine One in one of the the defining images of his presidency.

[Malcolm]

COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test

 

Live launch coverage of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station, begins Monday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. EDT on NASA+. Wilmore and Williams will be the first to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the Space Station. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.   LIVE COVERAGE DETAILS     NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station. Launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The flight test will carry Wilmore and Williams to the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will dock to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:46 a.m., Wednesday, May 8.

 

 

NASA’s BOEING STARLINER CREW FLIGHT TEST  Mission Updates   The official Commercial Crew Program blog will keep you up-to-date on the mission, crew, and spacecraft of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.  READ MORE

[Malcolm]

How to watch the first crewed flight of Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner spacecraft (msn.com)

The mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, could take off as soon as Monday at 10:34 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Live coverage of the event will stream on NASA channels beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday, according to the space agency.

The occasion is a decade in the making — the culmination of Boeing’s efforts to develop a spacecraft worthy of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

[Malcolm]

Monday, May 6

Editor’s Note: The launch attempt of NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test has been scrubbed as teams evaluate an oxygen relief valve on the Centaur Stage on the Atlas V. Our astronauts have exited Starliner and will return to crew quarters. More information will be forthcoming.

10:30 p.m. —Press briefing with experts from NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance to discuss the launch attempt for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Stream on NASA+

[Specs]

I can't imagine the feeding frenzy the press would have if another Boeing product failed spectacularly.   

[Kip Powick]

If they lose a door this time, it could be really messy 

[Maverick]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/930847022171911

[deicer]

U.S. getting used Korean 747's for doomsday fleet...

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/asia/korean-air-747-us-air-force-nuclear-doomsday-planes-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

Former passenger jets bought by US firm tasked with creating next generation of nuclear ‘Doomsday’ planes

That economy-class seat you once occupied while flying in Asia might one day be the very place from where the United States nuclear weapons arsenal is controlled.

That’s because five Boeing 747 passenger jets once operated by the South Korean flag carrier Korean Air have been purchased by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, the contractor for the replacements for the US Air Force’s current fleet of strategic command and control military aircraft, more commonly known as “Doomsday” planes.

Also known as the E-4B “Nightwatch,” the Doomsday planes are designed to be command-and-control centers for the US military in the event of a national emergency that sees command facilities on the ground destroyed or incapacitated, such as nuclear war.

They could become what amounts to a Pentagon in the sky, taking aboard the US president, secretary of defense and members of the Joint Chiefs among more than 100 other people with the ability to control US forces worldwide from the aircraft, according to an Air Force fact sheet on the E-4Bs.

The Doomsday planes are built to withstand the effects of an electromagnetic pulse, the burst of energy released by a nuclear explosion that can “disrupt and permanently damage electrical components and entire systems within most critical infrastructure sectors and impact large-scale infrastructure,” according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

At least one Doomsday plane is on alert 24/7 at a US military base somewhere in the world, the Air Force says.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the Colorado-based Sierra Nevada confirmed the purchase of the Korean Air jets but would not give any further details.

However, on April 26 the Air Force awarded Sierra Nevada a $13 billion contract to develop and produce the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, the official name of the new Doomsday plane. Work on the project is to be completed by 2036, according to a Defense Department release.

On Friday, an Air Force spokeswoman confirmed the contract had been awarded in April.

“The development of this critical national security weapon system ensures the Department’s Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications capability is operationally relevant and secure for decades to come. To satisfy operational requirements, the weapon system will be comprised of a Commercial Derivative Aircraft that will be hardened and modified to meet military requirements,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told CNN.

Last year, Sierra Nevada opened a 100,000-square-foot aircraft repair, maintenance and overhaul facility at Dayton International Airport in Ohio, and construction on a second hangar of similar size has begun.

An artist’s rendering of the Dayton facility showed a 747-800 inside.

The 747-800s would be an upgrade on the older and smaller 747-200 airframes of the current Doomsday fleet, which entered Air Force service in the 1980s.

Earlier this week, Korean Air announced the $675 million sale of five of its aircraft to Sierra Nevada. The decision to sell the jets was part of a “mid- to long-term introduction plan for new aircraft,” the airline said in a statement, adding it expects the deal to be completed by September 30, 2025.

Korean Air had nine 747-800 passenger jets in its fleet as of October 2023, according to its website.

[Malcolm]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Boeing's first Starliner mission carrying astronauts into space has been delayed again - until at least May 21 - over an issue with the spacecraft's propulsion system, the company said on Tuesday.

Starliner's mission carrying two NASA astronauts had been scheduled for liftoff from Florida last week until a technical issue with its Atlas 5 rocket prompted a delay to Friday, May 17, the latest postponement for a program years behind schedule and more than $1.5 billion over budget.

 

A new technical issue, now concerning Starliner itself, has prompted another postponement to at least next Tuesday, Boeing said in a statement.

"Starliner teams are working to resolve a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft's service module," Boeing said, adding that engineers traced the leak to a component on one of the propulsion system's 28 control thrusters that are used for maneuvering in Earth's orbit.

Boeing has been developing Starliner for more than a decade to provide NASA with a second U.S. spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, built under the same NASA program, first launched astronauts to space in 2020.

Starliner's latest mission, called the Crewed Flight Test, is due to be the final test before the spacecraft is certified by the U.S. space agency to fly routine astronaut missions to the ISS. Boeing completed an uncrewed Starliner trip to the ISS in 2022 following years of technical and management issues.

 

Related video: Boeing crews prepare for rescheduled first crewed launch of Starliner (WFTV Orlando)

Continues for the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket and

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NASA officials and Boeing engineers will run tests and try to fix the helium leak before the next possible launch window on May 21 at 4:43 p.m. ET (2043 GMT). Helium is used on Starliner to pressurize the fuel that powers the spacecraft's thrusters for orbital maneuvering.

The Atlas 5 rocket, built by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA), launches Starliner into space. Before attempting to launch Starliner last week, ULA discovered a faulty valve on the Atlas 5 and rolled the rocket off the launchpad to replace the valve.

Sensors on Starliner first detected suspicious traces of helium inside the propulsion system while the spacecraft was on the launchpad last week, but those detections did not raise alarm to engineers at the time, according to a person briefed on the mission operations.

Boeing engineers investigated the helium detections while ULA was replacing the faulty valve on Atlas 5 and determined more testing and scrutiny was needed in order to meet the mission's strict launch safety criteria, the person said.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Will Dunham)

 

 

 

 

 

[Malcolm]

The launch of Boeing's already delayed Starliner spacecraft is slipping at least four more days, from next Tuesday to May 25 because of ongoing work to resolve concerns about a small helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system, officials said Friday.

Mission commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams are now aiming for launch from Pad 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:09 p.m. EDT a week from Saturday, setting up a docking at the International Space Station the next day, May 26, at 4:12 p.m.

The astronauts had hoped to take off on the Starliner's first piloted test flight on May 6, but the countdown was called off because of trouble with an oxygen pressure relief valve in their Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur upper stage.

[deicer]

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/boeing-anchors-new-415m-innovation-zone-in-montreal-area-1.2075486

Boeing anchors new $415M 'innovation zone' in Montreal area

Boeing Co. is expanding its sizeable footprint in Canada, becoming the anchor tenant of a new innovation centre in the Montreal area.

At an annual aerospace conference in the city Tuesday, the plane maker announced contributions of $240 million to the aero hub, bolstering its presence in a country where it counts more than 500 suppliers.

The commitment makes up a big slice of the $330 million in investments from more than a dozen companies for the zone, centred around three hubs in the suburbs of Longueuil and Mirabel as well as the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent.

Quebec Premier François Legault says the government will inject an additional $85 million in funding to help launch the aerospace hot spot, with drones and decarbonization as key areas of research and commercialization.

Elements of the innovation hub — the fourth one announced by the Legault government — include a new development centre, aircraft research and training programs.

Despite the pledge by Boeing, the company continues to generate anxiety among some Canadian airlines due to production delays set off by the midflight blowout of a door plug in January.

[Malcolm]

Boeing Starliner historic crewed launch delayed again indefinitely

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

A Saturday target date for the highly anticipated crewed maiden voyage of Boeing’s Starliner is now off the table — and NASA has not immediately named a new one.

 

“The team has been in meetings for two consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system performance, and redundancy,” NASA said in a statement. “There is still forward work in these areas, and the next possible launch opportunity is still being discussed.”

The update comes after several previous delays this month, and a week after Starliner mission teams reported a small helium leak in the service module of the spacecraft. They traced the leak to a part called a flange on a single reaction control system thruster, where helium is used to allow the thrusters to fire.

Just days ago, NASA announced that teams were aiming to launch no earlier than May 25, saying the additional time before launch would give specialists more time to evaluate the issue, though tests to that point had found that the leak doesn’t pose a threat to the mission.

“Pressure testing performed on May 15 on the spacecraft’s helium system showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight,” the space agency said in a Friday news release. “The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module. Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight.”

 

This mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, could be the final major milestone before NASA deems Boeing’s spacecraft ready for routine operations as part of the federal agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

The historic crewed flight was about two hours from liftoff on May 6 when it was scrubbed due to an issue with the a valve on the second stage, or upper portion, of the Atlas V rocket that Starliner will ride to space.

The NASA astronauts set to crew the mission for a weeklong stay at the International Space Station, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, have been in preflight quarantine but returned to Houston on May 10 to spend time with their families, Boeing said last week.

“NASA will share more details once we have a clearer path forward,” the space agency said in its latest statement.

Boeing’s historic goals

 

NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore pose on April 25 ahead of the planned Starliner launch attempt. - Joe Skipper/Reuters© Provided by CNN

The Crew Flight Test is a decade in the making — the culmination of Boeing’s efforts to develop a spacecraft worthy of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station under NASA’s commercial program.

The launch would mark only the sixth maiden voyage of a crewed spacecraft in US history, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson noted in a news conference earlier this month.

 

“It started with Mercury, then with Gemini, then with Apollo, the space shuttle, then (SpaceX’s) Dragon — and now Starliner,” he said.

Boeing designed the Starliner to rival SpaceX’s prolific Crew Dragon capsule and expand US options for ferrying astronauts to the space station.

On board, Williams will also make history as the first woman to embark on such a mission.

A rocky start

Development hang-ups, test flight problems and other costly setbacks have slowed Starliner’s path to the launchpad. Meanwhile, Boeing’s rival under NASA’s commercial crew program — SpaceX — has become the go-to transportation provider for the space agency’s astronauts.

Williams and Wilmore were already in their seats aboard the Starliner capsule May 6 when engineers found an issue and halted the launch.

The United Launch Alliance team, which builds the Atlas V rocket, identified a pressure regulation valve on a liquid oxygen tank that needed replacing. The valve has since been replaced, but the latest issue with the helium leak on the Boeing spacecraft that sits atop the rocket has caused further delay.

 

If the spacecraft does launch next week as planned, it and the astronauts inside will break away from the Atlas V rocket after reaching orbit, as Starliner begins firing its own engines. The vehicle will likely spend more than 24 hours gradually making its way to the space station.

Williams and Wilmore are set to spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory, joining the seven astronauts and cosmonauts already on board, while the Starliner remains docked outside.

The history-making crew will then return home aboard the same Starliner capsule, which is expected to parachute to a landing at one of several designated locations across the southwestern United States.

CNN’s Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland contributed to this story.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

[Malcolm]

Starship poised for fourth ambitious flight test

Story by Karolina Modzelewska

 

Starship module test© Licensor

We are just two weeks away from the fourth test flight of the Starship rocket, according to Elon Musk, the founder and owner of SpaceX, the company responsible for constructing this impressive machine.

SpaceX, known for its innovation and pushing the boundaries of possibility, has set its sights on overcoming the point where the spacecraft heats the most during its return to Earth. This is an exceptionally challenging task, considering that re-entry is one of the most dangerous moments of the flight—the vehicle is exposed to massive forces and simultaneously heats up to extremely high temperatures.

 

Starship - fourth test flight soon

During the last test flight on March 14th, the Starship rocket reached and exceeded the conventional boundary of outer space. It carried out a series of pre-planned tasks, such as opening the cargo bay, but unfortunately, it was destroyed during its return to Earth.

In preparation for the upcoming test, SpaceX conducted a so-called wet-dress rehearsal of the rocket, which involves filling the tanks with fuel—liquid methane, and oxidizer—liquid oxygen. The company stated on the X platform that the test before the fourth launch was complete.

The Starship rocket is the largest in the history of spaceflight. Its first stage is an impressive 70 meters (230 feet) tall and is powered by 33 Raptor engines, which collectively generate twice the power of the engines used in the Apollo program's Saturn V rocket.

The rocket's second stage, designed for spaceflight, is 50 meters (164 feet) tall. It is powered by 6 Raptor engines, three of which are used for maneuvering in space. The Starship can carry up to 150,000 kilograms (331,000 pounds) of payload to low Earth orbit, more than seven times the payload capacity of the Ariane rocket.

 

Related video: Starship could be ready for Flight 4 in 2 weeks (WFTV Orlando)

New at 5 SpaceX is preparing for the 4th test

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Like other SpaceX rockets, the Starship rocket's most important feature is its reusability. Additionally, the rocket can launch and land in various locations—at the SpaceX spaceport, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, and on special ocean-based floating platforms.

According to many experts, the Starship rocket has the potential to revolutionize access to orbit and pave the way for further areas of space exploration.

[Malcolm]

a very windy day.

Insane moment 80mph winds push Boeing 737 away from jet bridge | Watch (msn.com)

[Innuendo]

Friend of mine was leaving Torbay, first flight of the morning. Winter and icy ramp, pushback complete, brakes set and the pushback tractor disconnects.

 It was windy and as soon as the tow bar was off, the aircraft slowly but surely weathercocked into the wind.

 There was  nothing they could do even though the brakes were set so the main gear did not hold the aircraft in position.

I believe the B-727 was inherently fairly light on the nosewheel, (the rear airstairs were  pretty well always lowered when loading/unloading), so perhaps that was a factor but it was a big surprise.

Edited May 30 by Innuendo

[Malcolm]

 

An American Airlines flight pictured landing at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, DC© Getty Images

ABoston-bound aircraft had to slam on the brakes while taking off to prevent a collision with another plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

A Federal Aviation Administration investigation is underway after the incident involving American Airlines flight 2134 as it was attempting to leave for Logan International Airport on Wednesday morning.

 

Pilots for the flight, which was cleared for takeoff, were forced to brake while going roughly 90 miles per hour to prevent a collision with the other aircraft, CBS News reported.

“Uh, we’re going to, we need to talk to maintenance, but yeah I think, uh, we were above 80 knots so [we’re] gonna have to get an inspection,” the pilot said as he was hitting the brakes, according to NBC News.

The other aircraft was a private plane that was initially cleared to land, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Air traffic control later told the private plane to abort the landing, but it was already on the ground, according to CBS News.

2 planes nearly colliding on the runway yesterday.

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FAA investigating near collision at DC’s Reagan National Airport

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In a statement to CBS News, American Airlines said they would support the FAA in their investigation.

A nearly identical incident happened at the same airport last month. Air traffic control instructed a Southwest flight to taxi across a runway after a Jet Blue flight had begun take-off on an intersecting runway. The planes did not collide, missing each other by just 400 feet.

 

Also last month, a quick-thinking pilot faced a similar situation and prevented a collision between four planes, including his own, at New York’s JFK International Airport.

Audio of the incident revealed air traffic control cleared a Swiss Air flight for takeoff. The pilot, realizing he would collide with several other planes, quickly aborted. The FAA is also investigating that incident.

 

[deicer]

14 hours ago, Innuendo said:

Friend of mine was leaving Torbay, first flight of the morning. Winter and icy ramp, pushback complete, brakes set and the pushback tractor disconnects.

 It was windy and as soon as the tow bar was off, the aircraft slowly but surely weathercocked into the wind.

 There was  nothing they could do even though the brakes were set so the main gear did not hold the aircraft in position.

I believe the B-727 was inherently fairly light on the nosewheel, (the rear airstairs were  pretty well always lowered when loading/unloading), so perhaps that was a factor but it was a big surprise.

While not as 'drastic' as that 737 video, used to have DC9's and 727's move quite a bit when parked on the old T2 gates 70 and 71.  You'd be offloading and the doorsill of the DC9 would keep bumping you in the chest.

As well, Gt105 would always have a Combi parked on it either to FRA or LHR.  On windy days they would have to prefuel the aircraft to settle it down otherwise you couldn't get the pogo stick on because the tail would be moving too much.

[Malcolm]

Sure hope the contractor is wrong.

 

• Boeing to launch rocket - despite warning from NASA contractor

Boeing's Starliner is set for its first launch on Saturday, but a NASA contractor has warned the mission could be 'catastrophic.'

The capsule, set to take two astronauts to the International Space Station, is leaking helium due to a faulty valve in the control jet that helps adjust the craft in orbit.

Erin Faville, president of ValveTech has urged NASA to 're-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens.'

While NASA and Boeing staff announced Wednesday that they were 'go' for launch,  Faville did not express a similar degree of optimism when contacted by DailyMail.com.

'I warned,' Faville said. 'I will choose to let it play out.' 

 

The first manned mission of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is set to launch Saturday, after an earlier attempt was scuttled over a leaking valve on one of its oxygen tanks. One NASA contractor who urged the US space agency to delay the launch, has not expressed optimism© Provided by Daily Mail

 

Two veteran astronauts, Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore (right) will take off for the ISS on Monday night aboard Boeing's Starliner© Provided by Daily Mail

In a press release issued on May 8, Faville stated that 'as a valued NASA partner and as valve experts, we strongly urge them not to attempt a second launch due to the risk of a disaster occurring on the launchpad.'

Faville expressed particular fears that the another leaky valve — which had been discovered on the upper-stage liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket as the craft was preparing to blast off — could have led to an explosion on the launchpad.Thank you. Right now, the rocket is back on the launch pad
 

That malfunction was detected on May 6 before Starliner was set to launch, forcing a scrub for the day. 

Such an incident would have been fatal both to 'astronauts and to the people on the ground,' Faville said in her statement, as provided by her company's legal counsel.

Faville clarified that she has not been calling for a permanent stop to the Starliner launch, nor to Boeing's project itself, both integral parts of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), but simply for an aggressive and robust safety review before launch.

'It is unfortunate that some of my comments were taken out of context to imply otherwise,' she said in a second press release. 

Boeing has been testing its CST-100 Starliner since 2011, experiencing failure after failure, including an onboard clock error that prevented it from docking with the ISS during its first-ever unmanned voyage to the space station in December 2019.  

For its first manned mission, if launched Saturday or on a back-up date, Starliner will carry two NASA astronauts, both former Navy test pilots, to the orbiting laboratory.

 

Pictured, a flag bearing the mission logo for Boeing Starliner's first crewed test flight, waving above at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 3 2024, just days before the cancelled launch © Provided by Daily Mail

 

Above, a NASA/Boeing artist's concept of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner as it would dock with the International Space Station (ISS), following a presumed successful launch Saturday© Provided by Daily Mail

The leaking valve on the capsule is reportedly no larger than a shirt button and quite thin.

Officials compared it to a rubber washer used around the opening of a kitchen or bathroom sink faucet.

NASA and Boeing's teams said that the Starliner's service module has 28 reaction control system thrusters in total — designed to aid the crew in precisely steer their spacecraft for 'on-orbit maneuvering' near the space station.

 

Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's CCP, said he is confident 27 out of these 28 thrusters are working properly, free of leaks or other issues.

The highly anticipated and much-delayed manned test flight has come amid increased scrutiny on Boeing's more terrestrial, commercial aerospace activities, including Senate testimony from former Boeing quality engineer Sam Salehpour.

'Despite what Boeing officials state publicly, there is no safety culture at Boeing,' Salehpour told Senate investigators during open hearings last month.

Multiple models of Boeing passenger jets have faced door plug blowouts, mid-air engine fires, and two deadly crashes which killed 346 people, as the scandal-hit company also contends with its own plunging stock price amid the legal fallout. 

But, with its Starliner, Boeing has hoped to one day compete with billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's SpaceX for a larger slice of NASA's lucrative contracts.

 

The leaky 'pressure regulation' valve on the oxygen fuel tank, which led to this month's delays and safety reviews, was a component not in Starliner itself but in the Atlas V rocket that would launch the spacefaring capsule into orbit.

The Atlas V had been supplied by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and fellow defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin.

 

Boeing's Starliner will take off for the ISS attached to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida (pictured). The leaky 'pressure regulation' valve that led to this month's delays was a component not in Starliner itself, but in the Atlas V rocket© Provided by Daily Mail

According to NASA, ULA ultimately 'decided to remove and replace' the valve on the oxygen tank, citing irregular fluctuations that appeared to be beyond correction. 

But that process led to other reviews ahead of this second launch attempt, during which the team discovered the leaking helium valve on one of the Starliner's own thrusters, the space agency said.

 

NASA's associate administrator, Jim Free, expressed confidence during an open call with reporters last Friday, regarding the collaborative efforts to ensure the ongoing safety of the Starliner project's astronauts and other personnel.

'It's our collective job to ensure we can fly this test flight safely and successfully,' Free said. 'We're never moving too quick that we are compromising safety.'

Stich, the program manager for NASA CCP, noted that the weeks-worth of thorough safety tests and repairs are what had discovered this separate leak on the helium valve within the Starliner service module. 

But this leak does not pose a danger for this mission, according to Stich. Enough safeguards and back-ups are in place, built into the surrounding systems to continue with the second launch, as he told reporters.

'I would say that the ascent timeframe is not going to put a lot of stress on this particular seal,' Stich said on last Friday's conference call.

 

'I would say the reason we're confident [includes] two different aspects of confidence in flying with the leak,' he noted.

'One, we characterized the leak through various pressure cycles and the leak is relatively stable,' Stich explained, adding that 'a couple of bounding analyses' and other tests of systems around the leak bolsters confidence that the system will hold. 

Boeing, NASA and ULA have together spent 'the past couple weeks on testing for the Atlas V and Boeing's Starliner' according to NASA associate administrator Free.

 

The Starliner was supposed to liftoff last summer carrying two astronauts, but was delayed due to issues with the parachute and wiring systems. Pictured: Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore (right)© Provided by Daily Mail

 

Above, a 'crew access arm' pictured before it is swung into position allowing astronauts to board Boeing's CST-100 Starliner which has been positioned on the launchpad at Space Launch Complex 41 this week ahead of the NASA/Boeing Crew Flight Test© Provided by Daily Mail

Two veteran NASA astronauts who have logged a combined 500 days in space over the course of two previous missions each to the ISS were selected to pilot Starliner for this first crewed flight: Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams.  

Wilmore is designated as the commander, with Williams as pilot.

 

Starliner is designed to fly autonomously, as in its maiden voyage, but the astronauts can assume control of the spacecraft, controlling those 27 thrusters if necessary. 

And the planned test flight will include both Wilmore and Williams practicing their maneuvering of the vehicle themselves while on course for the ISS. 

Once they arrive at the ISS, the two astronauts expect to spend a week with the resident crew: currently four US astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts.

Wilmore and Williams will then coast back to Earth for a parachute and airbag-assisted landing onboard Starliner somewhere in the southwestern desert of the United States - the first time the airbag system has been used for a NASA crew.

The flight would also mark the first crewed voyage to space using an Atlas since this famed class of rocket first sent astronauts, including John Glenn, on orbital flights for NASA's Mercury program in the 1960s.

Boeing to launch rocket into space TOMORROW - despite NASA contractor warning the mission could be 'catastrophic' | Daily Mail Online

[Malcolm]

 

[Kip Powick]

Today's launch with the two astronauts has been scrubbed........again.

[IFG]

On 5/30/2024 at 12:56 AM, Innuendo said:

.... I believe the B-727 was inherently fairly light on the nosewheel, (the rear airstairs were  pretty well always lowered when loading/unloading), so perhaps that was a factor but it was a big surprise.

Yes, very light. At my old Co., the 2nd used to transfer fuel into #2 (more forward CG) when leaving A/C unattended. We also ballasted extra fuel in #2 for any empty flights (with attendant ramp maneuvering )

Cheers, IFG - 

[Malcolm]

Rocket Science.   

NASA foregoes Sunday launch, delaying Starliner takeoff to at least Wednesday

June 1, 2024 William Harwood

The seemingly star-cross Boeing Starliner — within minutes of its long-delayed blastoff on the spacecraft’s first piloted test flight — was grounded again Saturday when one of three redundant computers managing the countdown from the base of the launch pad ran into a problem, triggering a last-minute scrub.

Engineers initially were told to set up for another launch try Sunday, at 12:03 p.m. EDT, assuming the problem could be resolved in time. But NASA later announced the team would pass up the Sunday opportunity to give engineers more time to assess the computer issue.

The Starliner’s test flight includes rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station. Based on the lab’s orbit and the Starliner’s ability to to catch up, the next two launch opportunities after Sunday are Wednesday, at 10:52 a.m. EDT, and Thursday, at 10:29 a.m. NASA said the agency would provide an update Sunday.

The Starliner’s crew, commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams, came within about two hours of launch on May 6, only to be derailed by trouble with a pressure relief valve in their Atlas 5 rocket and a helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion module.

[deicer]

With everything that has occurred, I know I wouldn't strap my backside to it!

[Malcolm]

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China lands on moon's far side in historic sample retrieval mission

Story by Reuters

 • 13h 

By Joey Roulette and Joe Brock

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China landed an uncrewed spacecraft on the far side of the moon on Sunday, a landmark mission aiming to retrieve the world's first rock and soil samples from the dark lunar hemisphere, China's space agency said.

The landing elevates China's space power status in a global rush to the moon, where countries, including the United States, are hoping to exploit lunar minerals to sustain long-term astronaut missions and moon bases within the next decade.

 

The Chang'e-6 craft, equipped with an array of tools and its own launcher, touched down in a gigantic impact crater called the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon's space-facing side at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time (2223 GMT), the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said in a statement on its website.

The mission "involves many engineering innovations, high risks and great difficulty," CNSA said. "The payloads carried by the Chang'e-6 lander will work as planned and carry out scientific exploration missions."

The successful mission is China's second on the far side of the moon, a region no other country has reached. The back of the moon perpetually faces away from the Earth and is dotted with deep and dark craters, making communications and robotic landing operations more challenging.

The Chang'e-6 probe launched on May 3 on China's Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan, reaching the lunar vicinity roughly a week later before tightening its orbit in preparation for a landing.

 

Using a scoop and drill, the lander will aim to collect 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of lunar material and bring it back to Earth.

The samples will be transferred to a rocket booster atop the lander, which will launch back into space, tag up with another spacecraft in lunar orbit and return, with a landing in China's Inner Mongolia region expected around June 25.

If all goes as planned, the mission will provide China with a pristine record of the moon's 4.5 billion-year history and yield new clues on the solar system's formation. It will also allow for an unprecedented comparison between the dark, unexplored region with the moon's better understood Earth-facing side.

China’s broader lunar strategy includes its first astronaut landing around 2030 in a program in which it counts Russia as a burgeoning partner. In 2020 China conducted its first lunar sample return mission with Chang'e-5, retrieving samples from the moon's near-facing side.

 

The U.S., with its Artemis program, also envisions a crewed moon landing by late 2026 or later. NASA has partnered with several space agencies including Canada’s, Europe’s and Japan’s, whose astronauts will join U.S. crews on a future Artemis mission.

(Reporting by Joe Brock in Singapore and Joey Roulette in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Editing by Chris Reese, Richard Chang and William Mallard)

[deicer]

https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-unmanned-escort-for-manned-fighter-jets-airbus-presents-new-wingman

Unmanned escort for manned fighter jets: Airbus presents new Wingman concept at ILA Berlin

Answers increasing need to augment capabilities of manned aircraft with unmanned platforms Showcases foreseen capabilities such as low observability and armament

 

Berlin, 3 June 2024 – Airbus will be presenting its new Wingman concept at the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA in Berlin. In military aviation, a “Wingman” is a pilot in another aircraft that protects and supports the flight lead, delivers more tactical options and thus contributes to mission success. In the Airbus concept, the Wingman is going to operate very much in the same way - only that it is neither a pilot nor a fighter jet flown by one. It is a fighter-type drone that will be commanded by a pilot in a current combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter and can take on high-risk mission tasks that would pose a bigger threat to manned-only aircraft.

The 1:1 model, which Airbus will be exhibiting from June 5 to 9 on its static display at ILA, is similar to a “show car” used as a design exercise by the automotive industry. The Wingman model showcases all of the foreseen capabilities required, such as low observability, the integration of various armaments, advanced sensors, connectivity and teaming solutions. As with “show cars”, not all of what is on display may find its way into series production. In this aspect, the model on display at ILA Berlin will serve as a foundation and catalyst to drive the design requirements for each generation of the Wingman.

Based on the current concept, the Wingman is intended to augment the capabilities of current manned combat aircraft with uncrewed platforms that can carry weapons and other effectors. 

“The German Air Force has expressed a clear need for an unmanned aircraft flying with and supporting missions of its manned fighter jets before the Future Combat Air System will be operational in 2040,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “Our Wingman concept is the answer. We will further drive and fine-tune this innovation made in Germany so that ultimately we can offer the German Air Force an affordable solution with the performance it needs to maximise the effects and multiply the power of its fighter fleet for the 2030s.”

The Wingman’s tasks can range from reconnaissance to jamming targets and engaging targets on the ground or in the air with precision guided munitions or missiles. Pilots in manned aircraft acting as “command fighters” will always have control of the mission. They are always the final decision-making authority, while benefiting from the protection and smaller risk exposure that the delegation of tactical taskings to unmanned systems offers. An additional focus is on increasing the overall combat mass in an affordable manner so that air forces can match the number of opposing forces in peers or near-peers in conflicts.