Boeing’s first Starliner capsule to the International Space Station is officially open for astronauts living in orbiting laboratories.
commercial Starliner Spaceship, Arrived on friday An unmanned test flight to the station was held by NASA astronaut Robert Hines at 12:04 EST (1604 GMT) and began testing the capsule for approximately five days.It’s a major milestone Boeing Choose Boeing and SpaceX to become an astronaut International Space Station In 2014.
“This was the day they imagined, and now three manned vehicles are docked to the space station,” Hines said, referring to SpaceX’s Starliner. Crew dragon And russia Soyuz capsule.. “So today is an important day in NASA’s history, and it only paves the way for the future as NASA begins to enable commercial flight in low earth orbit while visiting the Moon and finally Mars. . “
SpaceX has made five astronaut flights to NASA since May 2020, but Boeing’s Starliner is on a more rocky road.
Starliner was unable to reach the ISS during the first OFT in December 2019. Software bugAnd then a second attempt was scrubbed hours before the August 2021 lift-off after the mission team discovered it. Clogged valve With a capsule propulsion system. These issues did not recur in Starliner’s current test flight. Orbit flight test-2 (OFT-2). (However, there was a minor glitch in the thrusters and cooling system that caused a slight delay during docking.)
“These are the kind of things we expect in flight tests, and that’s why we test,” Hines said on Saturday. “If you don’t find something like that, you’re probably doing something wrong.”
The Thruster malfunctions immediately after launch on Thursday It does not appear to be related to previous problems that the vehicle experienced. At a press conference after the launch on Thursday night, NASA and Boeing representatives doubled their confidence that Starliner would complete its mission, regardless of the new thruster issue.
Mark Nappi, Vice President and Program Manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, said:
Starliner chased the orbital lab on Thursday night and began performing rendezvous test operations shortly after Friday at 3:30 pm EDT (1930 GMT). Before moving to the dock, the capsule successfully demonstrated its ability to not only leave the station in an emergency, but also stop at a command.
Satisfied with the results, the Boeing flight operator instructed the Starliner to begin the docking procedure, and the vehicle began to slowly move towards the station’s harmony module. At 8:28 pm Eastern Standard Time on Friday (0028 GMT, Greenwich Mean Time on May 21, Starliner officially docked with the International Space Station.
In the next few days, the crew in the orbiting lab will empty the starliner of 500 pounds (226 kg) of supplies and equipment and mark about 600 pounds (270 kg) to return to Earth. ) Cargo is packed in the hull.
Staying on the Starliner is a lovingly dubbed Boeing test dummy Rosie the Rocketeer, After Rosie, a WWII fame riveter. Dressed in one of Boeing’s blue spacesuits, Rosie remains tied to the Starliner command sheet to return to Earth.
Rosie’s sensors were used to measure the G-force generated on the body during Strainer’s first test flight. The OFT-2 uses sensors to measure the effect of the same force on the Starliner’s seat during re-entry and landing. Starliner will return to Earth after staying at the space station for four to five days. This timeline is heavily influenced by the weather at potential landing sites for vehicles in the western United States.
Boeing also traveled to Starliner’s space station, Jebediah “Jeb” Kerman plush toysHit space exploration game Kervo Note Kerbal Space ProgramUsed by Boeing as a zero g indicator to indicate that the capsule has reached space.
Editor’s Note: The story was originally posted at 9:30 EST, but was updated at 2:00 EST to show details of the astronaut’s starliner hatch opening.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is open to astronauts
https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-space-station-hatch-opening/ Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is open to astronauts