Inside the Tense Decision Between NASA and Boeing to Send Starliner Home Alone

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the tension between NASA and Boeing officials over the decision to return the Starliner spacecraft to Earth with or without astronauts on board.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Tension Between NASA and Boeing

1. What was the source of tension between NASA and Boeing over the Starliner spacecraft return?

• There was tension between NASA and Boeing over whether the Starliner spacecraft should return to Earth with or without the two astronauts on board.
• The NASA team had concerns about the uncertainty in the modeling of the Starliner's thruster performance once it undocked from the International Space Station and began the de-orbit burns.
• Boeing believed their model could predict the thruster degradation, but the NASA team saw limitations in the model and could not get comfortable with the risk.
• The decision ultimately fell on NASA, as the agency responsible for the safety of the astronauts.

2. How did the teams react during the technical discussion on the crewed versus uncrewed return decision?

• The teams were very split on the decision, and the discussion was tense, with both sides listening intently to the data.
• Steve Stich, the manager for NASA's Commercial Crew program, described it as a "tense technical discussion" where the teams were not yelling or screaming, but were deeply engaged in the technical details.

3. What was the final decision made by NASA regarding the Starliner return?

• NASA announced on August 24 that the Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed, without the two astronauts on board.
• This decision took several weeks to make, as the teams worked to understand the margins for error and the risks involved in a crewed return.

[02] Implications of the Uncrewed Starliner Return

1. What will happen to the two NASA astronauts currently on the International Space Station?

• Once SpaceX launches its Crew-9 mission for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which could happen as early as September 24, the clock will begin a half-year countdown for the two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
• They will come back to Earth once the Crew-9 mission, a long-duration spaceflight, wraps up its six-month-long mission, which will be at the earliest in late February 2025.

2. Why was the decision made for the Starliner to return uncrewed?

• The analysis showed there was enough helium for a return trip, but the margins for error, which NASA and Boeing worked to understand over weeks and months through testing, were too risky for several members of the teams.
• The NASA team, due to the uncertainty in the modeling of the Starliner's thruster performance, could not get comfortable with the risk of a crewed return.