A once-in-a-lifetime celestial event may be nearing — and Canadians will be able to see when it does.
The binary star T Corona Borealis is set to go nova — which it does every 80 years — before September.
A NASA illustration of T Corona Borealis, which is set to undergo a nova explosion.
Courtesy: NASA
The star is normally too faint to see with the naked eye but the explosion, when it occurs, will be nearly as bright as the North Star, according to NASA.
“This is a real, live stellar laboratory where we can look at… all sorts of astrophysical interesting processes,” York University professor emeritus of physics and astronomy Paul Delaney told Global News.
It’s actually two stars — a younger and larger red giant and an older, smaller white dwarf — and its last nova occurred in 1946.
More on Canada
“The stars are close enough that as the red giant becomes unstable from its increasing temperature and pressure and begins ejecting its outer layers, the white dwarf collects that matter onto its surface,” the NASA website states.
“The shallow, dense atmosphere of the white dwarf eventually heats enough to cause a runaway thermonuclear reaction, which produces the nova we see from Earth.”
Astronomers say T Corona Borealis will go nova. This map shows where in the eastern sky in Canada you can find it.Delaney clarified it’s the hydrogen around the white dwarf that undergoes a fusion explosion while the dwarf survives.
Global News, Stellarium
He predicted every single NASA asset — and many amateur astronomers’ telescopes — will be pointed at the nova.
While scientists understand the process by which stars grow, function and die, he said T Corona Borealis’s nova will likely provide key insights that will show “the difference between theory and practice.”
“To be able to examine what happens during those processes is really very important to our overall theoretical understanding of stellar evolution,” he said, speaking from Hillsdale, Ont., near Barrie.
Total solar eclipse mesmerizes millions in Canada
Having so many telescopes on the lookout will be helpful, because scientists don’t know exactly when it will go nova.
When it does, it will be just below the Corona Borealis, in the eastern sky.
To find it, face east and look up to find the Big Dipper (which is an asterism, meaning it’s not considered a true constellation), part of Ursa Minor (which is).
Follow the arc of the handle of the Dipper towards the horizon until you see the brightest star in the region. That’s Arcturus, and to the left you’ll see a crescent constellation, which is Corona Borealis.
When T Corona Borealis goes nova, it will be bright and just next to it.
ULA’s Atlas V rocket was returned to its integration facility to replace a valve on the rocket’s upper stage.Photo: ULA
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse for Boeing’s attempt at launching a crew to orbit, in comes a longstanding industry feud over rocket valves for a shocking third act.
A rival space company has come out of the woodwork to warn NASA of a “risk of a disaster occurring on the launchpad,” and advising the space agency to “immediately halt” the Starliner launch. The dramatic warning was issued on Wednesday by ValveTech, which recently lost a court battle over valve designs for Starliner’s propulsion system, according to Payload.
Earlier this week, NASA and Boeing were forced to stand down from a launch attempt of the Starliner spacecraft due to a faulty valve that ground teams discovered just hours before liftoff.
Boeing’s crew capsule was fitted atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, ready to transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) and back. A few hours before its scheduled liftoff on Monday, however, ULA announced that the launch had been scrubbed “due to an observation on a liquid oxygen self-regulating solenoid relief valve on the Centaur upper stage.”
The valve regulates the flow and pressure of liquid oxygen in the rocket’s upper stage. It employs a solenoid—a kind of electromagnet—to open and close as necessary, ensuring the safe release of excess pressure.
Following the scrubbed launch, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said the crew working at the launchpad heard an audible buzzing noise that was produced by the faulty valve. The company decided to replace the valve altogether rather than try to repair it, with the new launch date now scheduled for May 17.
“After evaluating the valve history, data signatures from the launch attempt, and assessing the risks relative to continued use, the ULA team determined the valve exceeded its qualification and mission managers agreed to remove and replace the valve,” NASA wrote in a statement.
That still wasn’t enough for some people. “NASA needs to re-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens to the astronauts and to the people on the ground,” ValveTech President Erin Faville said in the statement.
Just to clarify, the valve is on the rocket carrying Starliner rather than the crewed spacecraft itself. ValveTech’s apparent beef, however, is with the company supplying Boeing with valves for its Starliner spacecraft.
In 2017, Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of defense company L3Harris, ended its relationship with ValveTech due to disputes over valve designs, Payload reported. Aerojet Rocketdyne had hired ValveTech to build valves for Starliner’s propulsion system (which is different from the pressure regulation valve on ULA’s rocket), and ValveTech later sued Aerojet Rocketdyne for allegedly misusing its trade secrets for new valve designs.
In November 2023, a jury found that Aerojet Rocketdyne breached two nondisclosure agreements with ValveTech and improperly retained and used its proprietary information. ValveTech sought further restrictions on Aerojet Rocketdyne, but the motion was denied.
The company is now claiming that the valve being used for Starliner’s propulsion system, which was provided by Aerojet Rocketdyne, is “not qualified to the right specifications and not evaluated to ensure safety protocols,” ValveTech wrote in its statement.
“ValveTech continues to question how NASA, Boeing and Aerojet could have qualified this valve for the mission without proper supporting data or previous history or legacy information, which in its experience, goes against aerospace-industry qualification protocols established by NASA,” the company added.
In response to ValveTech’s statement, ULA’s Bruno wrote on X, “Not sure what to say about this one. Close to none of it is correct...Remarkable that the particular person quoted doesn’t seem to know how this type of valve works.”
A Boeing spokesperson told Payload that ValveTech’s speculation about Monday’s scrubbed launch is “inaccurate and irresponsible.” Starliner has had its shortcomings in the past, but this time the crewed spacecraft is undeserving of the misdirected shade.
Gizmodo contacted ValveTech to request a comment; however, there was no response prior to publication.
Boeing’s Crewed Flight Test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is meant to transport crew and cargo to and from the ISS under a $4.3 billion contract. NASA’s other commercial partner, SpaceX, recently launched its eighth crew to the space station while Boeing can’t seem to shake off its curse.
The program has suffered from a slew of problems and delays, including a botched uncrewed test flight in 2019. Boeing’s crewed Starliner launch was initially set for February 2023, then postponed to late April, and finally rescheduled for July 21, 2023. A few weeks before liftoff, however, the company announced that it was standing down from the launch attempt to address newfound issues with the crew vehicle, including a mile’s worth of flammable tape that had to be manually removed. Following the scrub on May 6 due to the aforementioned buzzing valve issue, the crewed capsule will now launch no earlier than May 17.
The latest delay to the launch of Boeing’s Starliner may not have been the company’s own fault, but it did spark a hilarious, if not misguided, spat to continue the streak of misfortunes that has plagued the program from the start.
For more spaceflight in your life, follow us onXand bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicatedSpaceflight page.
A severe solar storm this weekend threatens to trigger blackouts, disrupt navigation systems and knock out high-frequency radios around the world.
This is the first time since January 2005 the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G4 geomagnetic storm watch — the second-highest on a five-step scale — as multiple waves of solar energy bear down on the planet. Five eruptions of material from the sun’s atmosphere are forecast to arrive starting late on Friday and persist through Sunday.
Article content
“Watches at this level are very rare,” the Space Weather Prediction Center said.
While people will be protected by Earth’s magnetic field, unprepared electric grids can be disrupted, pipelines can be charged with current and spacecraft can be knocked off course. The last time Earth was hit by a G5 storm – the worst on the scale – was October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.
The storm’s true power will be known about 60 to 90 minutes before it hits Earth as satellites measure inbound bursts of energy. Large parts of Asia, Europe and North America may be able to see an aurora, often called the Northern Lights, overnight where skies are dark and clear enough, the U.K. Met Office said. It is likely the aurora will be visible across the entire UK.
In addition, trans-polar flights between Europe, Asia and North America will likely be rerouted to avoid increased radiation exposure for passengers and crews.
The culprit is a sunspot cluster visible on the right side of the sun’s disc that is 16 times wider than Earth. The sun, which rolls through an 11-year cycle in which the number of spots waxes and wanes, is approaching the peak of the current one that began in December 2019.
If the expected timing holds up, folks in B.C. might struggle to see subtler colours given that sunset isn’t until after 8:30 p.m. for many communities.
Any change in this geomagnetic storm’s arrival time would affect Canada’s viewing. An earlier arrival might favour Europe over Canada, while a later arrival might allow for more widespread viewing opportunities across the country.
A geomagnetic storm of this caliber could produce visible auroras far south of the border, as well. NOAA says that the northern lights could be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California if the event peaks at the right time.
Clouds may obscure the view for some regions
Sunlight is only part of the equation when it comes to spotting the northern lights. Where might clouds obscure the view?
The latest forecast for Friday night paints a mixed picture across the country. Cloud cover may obscure the view for parts of the East Coast, including for folks in St. John's and Halifax.
A decent chance for plenty of clear skies could allow fantastic viewing for a wide swath of Quebec, including the Montreal area, as well as much of southern Ontario. You’ll want to get away from the bright lights of the Greater Toronto Area's for the best chance at seeing colours dance in the night sky.
"NASA needs to re-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens to the astronauts and to the people on the ground."
Shut It Down
A NASA contractor is urging the space agency to suspend the upcoming Boeing Starliner launch over major safety concerns with the aerospace company's wares.
In a press release, the president of ValveTech, a NASA contractor that supplies the agency with parts, warned that the buzzing sound heard during the now-scrubbed Starliner launch could indicate something seriously wrong with the transport capsule.
"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," ValveTech president Erin Faville cautioned. "According to media reports, a buzzing sound indicating the leaking valve was noticed by someone walking by the Starliner minutes before launch. This sound could indicate that the valve has passed its lifecycle."
After the incident, which occurred just before Starliner was supposed to attempt its first crewed launch earlier in May, NASA has said that it won't try again until at least May 17. According to Faville, much needs to be be done between now and then to head off the worst possible outcomes.
"NASA needs to re-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols," he said, "to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens to the astronauts and to the people on the ground."
Bad News Boeing
The CEO of United Launch Alliance, which is launching the craft into orbit, pushed back strongly on X-formerly-Twitter.
"Not sure what to say about this one," he wrote. "Close to none of it is correct: Not urgent. Not leaking. Etc. Remarkable that the particular person quoted doesn't seem to know how this type of valve works."
As the company's press release notes, the launch scrub also occurred after a November 2023 ruling in which a federal court found that Boeing had used a valve from another aerospace company, Aerojet Rocketdyne, that copied ValveTech's designs. The part was not, according to a witness in that trial, equipped for the job it was meant to do, and as far as the company can tell, it hasn't been replaced.
"ValveTech continues to question how NASA, Boeing and Aerojet could have qualified this valve for the mission without proper supporting data or previous history or legacy information, which in its experience, goes against aerospace-industry qualification protocols established by NASA," the press release reads.
All told, these are some pretty serious claims, and Futurism has reached out to NASA to ask if the parts in question have been replaced.
By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured these images of the solar flares — as seen in the bright flashes in the left image (May 8 flare) and the right image (May 7 flare). The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colorized in orange. Credit: NASA/SDO
The Sun emitted two intense solar flares, with the first peaking at 9:41 p.m. ET on May 7, 2024, and the second peaking at 1:09 a.m. ET on May 8, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of these events.
Solar flares are intense bursts of energy that can disrupt radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals. They also pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. Both of the recent flares were categorized as X1.0, indicating their significant intensity. The ‘X-class’ label is used for the most intense flares, and the accompanying number describes their strength in more detail.
This animation of the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows it above the earth as it faces toward the Sun. SDO is designed to help us understand the Sun’s influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a mission dedicated to observing the Sun and its behavior. Launched on February 11, 2010, SDO is a part of NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) program, which aims to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth. The observatory is equipped with a suite of instruments that provide comprehensive measurements of the solar atmosphere and solar activity.
SDO’s main goals include understanding the solar cycle, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, as well as their effects on space weather and Earth’s environment. The observatory provides high-resolution images of the Sun in 13 different wavelengths every 12 seconds, offering unprecedented insights into solar processes. Its data are crucial for improving the ability to forecast space weather events that can affect satellite operations, power grids, and communication systems on Earth.
May 8 (UPI) -- Boeing's Starliner crew flight test has been pushed back another week as United Launch Alliance plans to replace a part of the spacecraft.
The test launch is now set for 6:16 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Station Florida on May 17, a week later than the date set earlier this week after the initial launch was scrubbed due to concerns about an oxygen relief valve, NASA said Tuesday.
ULA will replace the valve when the rocket is moved back to its Vertical Integration facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday.
"Following a thorough data review completed on Tuesday, ULA decided to replace a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V rocket's Centaur upper stage," NASA said.
When the valve is replaced Wednesday NASA said the ULA team will do leak checks and "functional checkouts" to support the next launch attempt.
NASA had, earlier Tuesday, set the launch for no earlier than Friday at 9 p.m. EDT.
While the valve is being replaced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will stay in quarantine at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Florida.
They will be the first people to travel on Starliner to the space station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Boeing's Starliner has been delayed multiple times over safety concerns. A 2019 test mission without a crew failed to reach the space station.
A 2022 test flight, also without a crew onboard, was successful.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing’s first astronaut launch is off until late next week because of a bad valve in the rocket that needs to be replaced.
The countdown was halted Monday night after a pressure-relief valve in the Atlas V rocket’s upper stage opened and closed so quickly and so many times that it created a loud buzz. Engineers for United Launch Alliance determined Tuesday that the valve has exceeded its design limit and must now be removed, pushing liftoff to no earlier than May 17.
The NASA astronauts assigned to the Starliner capsule’s test flight to the International Space Station — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — will remain at Cape Canaveral.
Starliner’s first crew flight already is years behind schedule because of a multitude of capsule problems.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jennifer Lee | CBC News | Posted: Tuesday, May 7th, 2024 11:00 AM | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
Seniors and immunocompromised Albertans eligible for additional XBB.1.5 dose
Image | sars cov 2 covid
Caption: This is a transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles within a heavily infected nasal cell. (NIAID)
After trending downward for several months, COVID-19 is on the upswing in Alberta once again.
The province's respiratory virus dashboard shows a number of key indicators, including case counts, hospitalization numbers and positivity rates, are ticking up.
"Many jurisdictions in Canada have seen a slight bump in late April in the number of COVID cases, the positivity rate and also in their wastewater monitoring," said Dr. Dan Gregson, an infectious diseases specialist in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
There are likely a number of factors at play, he said.
"It's a combination of waning immunity and the virus becoming more transmissible and escaping your immune system that's been adapted to the prior strain."
The latest data from Alberta Health shows 114 people hospitalized with SARS CoV-2, an increase of more than two dozen in two weeks. Six patients are in intensive care.
At the University of Alberta Hospital, infectious diseases physician Dr. Stephanie Smith said the latest uptick isn't translating into a spike in severe COVID cases, but she is seeing a clear trend.
"What we are seeing is we have people being admitted for other things and then becoming infected with COVID in the hospital because of visitors or sharing a room," she said.
"Most of them are not getting severely ill. Obviously there are exceptional cases of patients that are severely immunocompromised that can get severe disease. But we do have treatments to try and prevent disease from becoming severe for those that pick up COVID in the hospital."
According to Smith, that's exacerbated by the strain on hospitals and overcrowding.
"We are so overcapacity in our hospitals, and that means patients are being put into hallways, and we have three people in rooms that are designed for two people, and that makes it really hard to prevent the spread of infection," said Smith.
"I would say that's probably our biggest challenge right now and why we're seeing transmission."
The Alberta Health Services website shows seven hospitals were reporting COVID-19 outbreaks as of April 30.
An enhanced masking directive, designed to prevent COVID-19 transmission, is no longer in place in AHS facilities.
Smith said many health workers on the wards where she works still wear masks routinely.
The province's COVID-19 death toll continues to rise. A total of 552 Albertan's have died due to the illness since Aug. 27, according to publicly available data.
Know your risk
Both doctors are urging Albertans to know their level of risk for severe disease and plan their immunizations accordingly.
"The important thing is for people who are high risk to really make sure that their vaccine is up to date. That's the easiest thing to do," said Gregson.
"If you're really high risk and you're going to places where there's lots of people, you can mask to reduce your risk."
High-risk Albertans — including seniors, immunocompromised individuals and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people — became eligible for additional doses of the XBB.1.5 vaccine on April 15, if it's been six months since their last shot.
According to Gregson, while COVID transmission dropped for a number of months, it never went away.
"We have constant background noise that's occurring all the time and then we have waves. The last big wave was in the fall of 2023.… Whether or not over the summer that goes down to zero or not, we'll wait and see," he said.
Metro Vancouverites could see an awe-inspiring northern lights display early this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm warning for Monday, May 6 "due to the potential arrival of a [coronal mass ejection]." (see slide two).
On Monday, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) shows highly active auroral activity with displays visible "overhead from Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit to Vancouver, Helena, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Bay City, Toronto, Montpelier, and Charlottetown," and also low on the horizon in places as far south as Salem, Indianapolis, and Annapolis (see slide three).
The university's online aurora monitor map shows what regions the aurora's green glow may be visible overhead and where it may be visible low on the horizon. Additionally, there is a brief description below the map of the aurora activity on that particular day. You can switch to other days to see the forecast, too.
The UAF's aurora viewing map shows the vibrant green glow covering well below Vancouver on Monday, meaning there could be opportunities to view the aurora overhead rather than only low on the horizon, weather permitting.
The Metro Vancouver weather forecast and aurora viewing opportunities
On Tuesday, the UAF's map shows less of the green glow covering the Lower Mainland but opportunities may still exist to see active auroral displays low on the horizon.
Displays low on the horizon are expected to be visible from Vancouver, Great Falls, Pierre, Madison, Lansing, Ottawa, Portland, and St. Johns.
The Metro Vancouver weather forecast looks favourable for at least one of the displays. Summer-like weather is expected to emerge later this week but skies should clear on Tuesday.
How will you know when there may be some decent breaks in the cloud coverage?
Castellan recommends sky-watchers look at Environment Canada's online cloud prediction tool for astronomical purposes. It shows when there may be clearer times when the aurora is active.
Boeing crewed space launch postponed for safety check
Boeing's first crewed space flight was postponed just two hours before launch for a safety check, Nasa officials say.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were already in position inside the Starliner when the decision to halt was made because of a potential issue with an oxygen relief valve in the Atlas rocket run by the United Launch Alliance.
There was no issue with Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft which sits on top of the rocket.
Flight engineers discovered that the valve had been rapidly opening and closing in the period before launch and so the countdown was aborted.
The flight team are currently examining the data to see how much energy was expended by the valve. If it has exceeded its operational life it will need to be replaced, which ULA say its engineers can do in a few days.
The spacecraft had been expected to blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida and make its way to the International Space Station (ISS).
The soonest a new launch attempt may be made is on Friday, Boeing said in a post on social media.
The mission has already been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft's development.
"Standing down on tonight's attempt to launch," tweeted Nasa chief Bill Nelson. "As I've said before, @NASA's first priority is safety. We go when we're ready."
Boeing is hoping to become the second private firm able to provide crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Mr Musk's company was the first to achieve this in 2020 with its Dragon capsule, in a flight that ended close to a decade of US reliance on Russian space rockets.
The Starliner's first uncrewed test flight was originally scheduled to take place in 2015 but ended up being delayed until 2019. When it did occur, software glitches led to an internal clock malfunction, resulting in thrusters over-firing. So much fuel was consumed that the capsule was unable to reach the ISS.
A second attempt was planned in August 2021 but delayed again until May 2022. An issue with the propulsion system was blamed. When Starliner finally did leave Earth, it managed to complete its full mission but concerns were raised about the performance of some thrusters and the craft's cooling system.
Metro Vancouverites could see an awe-inspiring northern lights display early this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm warning for Monday, May 6 "due to the potential arrival of a [coronal mass ejection]." (see slide two).
On Monday, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) shows highly active auroral activity with displays visible "overhead from Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit to Vancouver, Helena, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Bay City, Toronto, Montpelier, and Charlottetown," and also low on the horizon in places as far south as Salem, Indianapolis, and Annapolis (see slide three).
The university's online aurora monitor map shows what regions the aurora's green glow may be visible overhead and where it may be visible low on the horizon. Additionally, there is a brief description below the map of the aurora activity on that particular day. You can switch to other days to see the forecast, too.
The UAF's aurora viewing map shows the vibrant green glow covering well below Vancouver on Monday, meaning there could be opportunities to view the aurora overhead rather than only low on the horizon, weather permitting.
The Metro Vancouver weather forecast and aurora viewing opportunities
On Tuesday, the UAF's map shows less of the green glow covering the Lower Mainland but opportunities may still exist to see active auroral displays low on the horizon.
Displays low on the horizon are expected to be visible from Vancouver, Great Falls, Pierre, Madison, Lansing, Ottawa, Portland, and St. Johns.
The Metro Vancouver weather forecast looks favourable for at least one of the displays. Summer-like weather is expected to emerge later this week but skies should clear on Tuesday.
How will you know when there may be some decent breaks in the cloud coverage?
Castellan recommends sky-watchers look at Environment Canada's online cloud prediction tool for astronomical purposes. It shows when there may be clearer times when the aurora is active.
Ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station has almost become routine—but not for Boeing and not on Monday, when after years of delay it's finally set to launch two crew members to the orbiting platform on a critical test flight.
The Arlington, Virginia-based aerospace giant was awarded a $4.2 billion contract in 2014 to build and operate a spacecraft to service the station, while El Segundo rival Space X received $2.6 billion to do the same.
Both were given out under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, established to have American companies taxi astronauts to the station.
The stakes are particulary high for Boeing. Since 2020, SpaceX completed its crewed test flight and has ferried eight operations crews to the base—while Boeing has managed only two unmanned flights, including one that docked remotely in May of last year.
Boeing has long-standing and historic ties to the aerospace industry in Southern California—the Apollo command and service modules were built at North American Aviation's plant in Downey. Its current operations include a satellite facility in El Segundo.
Boeing's new Starliner capsule was scheduled to launch with a crew last summer, but a problem was discovered with its parachute system and the use of flammable tape in the craft, a mile of which was removed. It was just the most recent of several delays.
Starliner, with crew members strapped in, is set to blast off at 10:34 p.m. Eastern time at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If the weather doesn't cooperate or other minor issues arise, it could fly the next day or later in the week.
After the delays and a reported $1.5 billion in cost overruns the company had to absorb, analysts say it's critical that the mission goes well. That's especially true, given Boeing's already battered reputation, after two crashes of its 737 Max 8 jets and a door plug that blew out of a 737 Max 9 flight this year on its way to Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County.
"It's very important for [Boeing's] desire to be relevant to NASA, relevant to manned space flight and for confidence internally to turn around and execute a program that's had problems," said Ken Herbert, a Boeing analyst at RBC Capital Markets. "This could be a big win for Boeing, if they can successfully pull this off, just in light of all the bad news they get from every other part of the business."
The capsule is designed to be reused 10 times, similar to SpaceX's Dragon Capsule that services the station. It will be launched from an Atlas V rocket, a reliable workhorse built by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Starliner should take about 26 hours to reach the station, which orbits at roughly 17,500 mph.
The flight plan calls for NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to spend a minimum of eight days testing the docked Starliner capsule, before returning to Earth as soon as May 15. Unlike SpaceX's capsule, which splashes down on water, Starliner will deploy giant air bags and touch down on land in one of four possible locations in the Southwest—a system the Russian space program has used since its inception. Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County is a contingency landing zone.
Assuming the flight is a success, Boeing would be cleared to fly Starliner on regular flights carrying cargo and astronauts, where it would stay docked for six months and provide NASA with a second, redundant American craft to reach the station, a longtime goal. The 15-feet-in-diameter capsule, shaped like a Hershey's Kiss, can carry up to seven astronauts without cargo or fewer with it.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed confidence in the flight despite problems Boeing has experienced with its commercial aircraft.
"Understand that anytime you fly in space, it's risky business, but we don't fly, until we—NASA—are satisfied that it is as safe as possible," he told The Times.
A Boeing spokesperson declined to respond to requests for comment.
Mark Nappi, the manager of Boeing's Commercial Crew Program, said at a news conference Friday, "I have never felt readier on any mission that I have ever participated in. ... We are where we are supposed to be at this point."
NASA contracted with SpaceX and Boeing after being forced to rely solely on the Russian space program to resupply and send crews to the station after the space shuttle program ended in 2011.
A longer-term issue for Boeing is that it has taken so long to certify Starliner that it might only service the station for its contracted six missions before the lab is sent back to Earth in 2031 in a controlled descent, where it will burn up in the atmosphere. Initially assembled in 1988, it is now the size of a football field and some pieces are expected to land in the far reaches of the ocean.
NASA wants to focus its resources on planned missions to the moon and deep space through its Artemis program, and the Russians aren't interested either, said aerospace analyst Marco Caceres of Teal Group.
"The Russians have certainly expressed their desire not to continue their presence for no more than another 10 years," he said.
While the station includes modules from multiple countries, NASA and the Russian program were its primary constructors, including a core power module the Russians sent up on the very first launch.
There have been nearly 4,000 scientific studies conducted on the station and commercial space stations are being to developed to conduct science as needed. That includes Orbital Reef, a planned station by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin aerospace company.
NASA expects that Boeing and SpaceX will service those stations, and Boeing has said it has plans to launch Starliner to ferry astronauts to the station, which is still in its early development stages. Nappi said Friday that the company will "have time to make those decisions."
Even if the Starliner flight goes flawlessly, NASA will continue to send astronauts to the space station on Russia's Soyuz craft, given the country's key role in building and continuing to operate the station.
Nelson said that aside from Russia's operational role, it is important for the two space programs to maintain good relations despite tensions over the war in Ukraine, noting that each country has personnel embedded in the other's mission control operations. He recalled how that relationship began when an Apollo capsule docked with a Russian Soyuz craft in a historic test project started amid the Cold War.
"This cooperation in space has been going in genuine success ever since Gen. Tom Stafford and Gen. Alexei Leonov came across that threshold docked in space in 1975," he said. "There has been no evidence we have any problem. It is steady as you go."
2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Citation:
Boeing faces critical launch ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (2024, May 6)
retrieved 6 May 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-05-boeing-critical-ferrying-astronauts-international.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
A Boeing Starliner capsule atop an Atlas V rocket sits on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 4, 2024.
After years of delays, Boeing's Starliner capsule is set to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) Monday, a milestone for the US aerospace giant and NASA.
The flight, a final test before Starliner takes up regular service for the space agency, is critical for Boeing, whose reputation has suffered of late due to safety issues with its passenger jets.
For NASA, the stakes are also high: Having a second option for human space flight in addition to SpaceX's Dragon vehicles is "really important," said Dana Weigel, manager of the agency's International Space Station program.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to take off from Cape Canaveral at 10:34 pm Monday (0234 GMT Tuesday), if favorable weather predicted for the launch continues to hold.
Starliner will be propelled into orbit by an Atlas V rocket made by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture.
Once in space, one of Wilmore and Williams's tasks will be to temporarily pilot the craft manually, in a test.
The astronauts, both Navy-trained space program veterans, have each been to the ISS twice, traveling once on a shuttle and then aboard a Russian Soyuz vessel.
"It's going to be like going back home," Williams said ahead of the launch.
As for the Boeing spacecraft, Wilmore said, "Everything is new."
Graphic on the Boeing Starliner, which will make its first crewed mission to the International Space Station on the Atlas V rocket.
Hiccups expected
Starliner is scheduled to arrive at the ISS at about 0500 GMT Wednesday, and remain there for a little over a week. Tests will be performed to check it is working properly, and then Williams and Wilmore will reboard the capsule to return home.
A successful mission would help dispel the bitter taste left by the numerous setbacks in the Starliner program.
In 2019, during a first uncrewed test flight, the capsule was not placed on the right trajectory and returned without reaching the ISS.
Then in 2021, with the rocket on the launchpad for a new flight, blocked valves forced another postponement.
The empty vessel finally reached the ISS in May 2022. But problems since then have delayed Monday's crewed test flight, necessary for the capsule to be certified for NASA's use on regular ISS missions.
NASA associate administrator Jim Free had predicted the mission would not be hiccup-free.
"We certainly have some unknowns in this mission, things we expect to learn, being a test mission. We may encounter things we don't expect," Free said, noting that Starliner is just the sixth US-built class of vessel for NASA astronauts.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule joined that exclusive club in 2020, following the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs.
In 2014, the agency awarded fixed-price contracts of $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX to develop the capsules.
Once Starliner is fully operational, NASA hopes to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing vessels to ferry astronauts to the ISS.
Even though the ISS is due to be mothballed in 2030, both Starliner and Dragon could be used to taxi humans to future private space stations, which several companies are planning to build.
Citation:
Boeing's Starliner set for first crewed mission to ISS (2024, May 6)
retrieved 6 May 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-05-boeing-starliner-crewed-mission-iss.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Using Boeing’s 737 MAX as a case study, Brady detailed how a series of seemingly minor technical and organizational missteps—each a "grain of sand"—accumulated to create a condition ripe for disaster. He described the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), initially designed to enhance flight safety, which instead became a pivotal factor in the crashes due to reliance on faulty sensors and inadequate pilot training.
"Imagine a hill of sand," Brady said, using a metaphor to clarify his point. "Each grain of sand is a decision, an action taken during the design and development of a system like the Boeing 737 MAX. Over time, these grains accumulate, building a hill. It only takes one additional grain, seemingly insignificant, to trigger an avalanche."
This analogy struck a chord with the audience, as they understood the need for safety professionals to not only focus on the apparent causes of incidents but also to understand and address the underlying systemic vulnerabilities that could precipitate a crisis.
"The real issue," Brady continued, "is not just the technological failures but also how organizational culture and processes contribute to these systemic risks. At Boeing, the shift from an engineering-driven to a cost-driven culture created a steeper hill, making the system more susceptible to failure."
The implications of Brady’s analysis extend beyond aerospace, touching every industry where complex systems play a critical role. His call to action for safety professionals is to foster an organizational culture that prioritizes a deep understanding of systemic interactions over a superficial treatment of individual failings.
