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WG3K > ANS 16.06.24 02:19l 76 Lines 3927 Bytes #88 (0) @ AMSAT
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Read: GUEST IU4JRU
Subj: Starliner Brings Another Ham to ISS
Path: IZ3LSV<DB0ERF<DK0WUE<DK0WUE<N2NOV<KA1VSC<WG3K
Sent: 240616/0016Z 5360@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
Working around multiple helium leaks and thruster problems, the crew of
Boeings Starliner spacecraft wrapped up a challenging rendezvous and a
delayed-but-successful docking with the International Space Station
Thursday in a major milestone for the new ships first piloted test flight.
With commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams, KD5PLB,
monitoring the Starliners automated approach, the Starliners docking
mechanism engaged its counterpart on the front of the stations forward
Harmony module at 17:34 UTC on June 8 as the two spacecraft were sailing
260 miles above the Indian Ocean.
After extensive checks to verify an airtight seal, hatches were opened and
Wilmore and Williams floated into the lab complex to an enthusiastic
welcome from the seven Expedition 71 crew members: cosmonauts Oleg
Kononenko, RN3DX, Nicolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin, RZ3DSE, along with
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR, Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ, Jeanette
Epps, KF5QNU, and Tracy Dyson.
Wilmore and Williams plan to spend about a week aboard the outpost before
returning to Earth aboard the Starliner. While theyre there, the station
crew will install a replacement urine processor pump module that was loaded
aboard the Starliner at the last minute to fix the labs water recycling
system and allow normal use of the toilet in the U.S. segment of the
station.
Running years behind schedule after multiple problems that cost Boeing some
$1.4 billion to correct, the Starliner was launched Wednesday with a known
helium leak in the system used to pressurize the spacecrafts propulsion
system. Launch had been delayed a month, in part because of work to confirm
the ship could safely be launched with the leak as is.
After reaching orbit, two more helium leaks developed that prompted flight
controllers to close valves leading to the affected plumbing, or manifolds,
while they analyzed leak rates and potential work arounds. Closing the
manifolds took down five of 28 reaction control system jets in the ships
service module and three of 20 more powerful “OMAC” thrusters.
Docking had to be delayed because five RCS jets were “deselected” by the
capsules flight software when telemetry showed they were not performing
exactly as expected. It was unclear if there would be sufficient
maneuverability for the docking to proceed.
Throughout the process, Wilmore flew the Starliner manually, holding
position about 650 feet from the space station. When ground teams concluded
the spacecraft had enough thruster redundancy to proceed, the Starliners
automated control system took over and flew the ship in for a problem-free
docking.
As if the team hadnt had enough problems to deal with, a fourth and a
fifth helium leaks were detected after docking. In any case, per standard
procedure, flight controllers closed all the Starliners helium manifolds
after the linkup to prevent any residual leakage while attached to the
station.
Despite the leaks, NASA officials said more than enough helium remains on
board to ensure a safe return to Earth at the end of a normal-duration or
even extended mission.
On June 14, NASA and Boeing teams pushed back the target undocking and
landing date for the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space
Station by four days. They shifted from June 18 to now no earlier than June
22.
The reason for the extended stay is in part due to a need to gather more
information about the Starliner capsule with the benefit of having an
astronaut crew assigned to study aspects of the spacecraft with additional
detail.
The helium leaks are all located in the Starliners drum-shaped service
module, which is discarded to burn up in the atmosphere before the crew
capsule re-enters for landing. Thus, there is no possibility of post-flight
analysis of the problems.
[ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information
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