Elon Musk to the rescue?
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NASA astronauts 'STRANDED' in space due to malfunctioning Boeing Starliner - as experts say SpaceX could perform a rescue mission
NASA has delayed the return of two astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) for the third time, raising concerns the crew could be 'stranded.'
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were initially scheduled for a nine-day stay, which was pushed back twice this month and now sits at an undetermined date.
The extended stay is to allow more time for review of technical issues encountered by the capsule as it traveled to the ISS, which included thruster failures and leaking valves, Boeing said in a statement.
Starliner took off at on June 5 at 10:52am ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida last week with the same leak that forced a scrub in May.
The capsule, however, launched with a known leak that was reportedly no larger than a shirt button and quite thin.
Stich said last month that he was confident 27 out of these 28 thrusters were working properly, free of leaks or other issues.
However, Starliner encountered five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of helium gas meant to pressurize those thrusters and a slow-moving propellant valve that signaled unfixed past issues since launching.
When Starliner arrived in the space station's vicinity to dock on June 6, the five thruster failures prevented a close approach by the spacecraft until Boeing made a fix.
It rewrote software and tweaked some procedures to revive four of them and proceed with a docking.
Starliner's undocking and return to Earth represent the spacecraft's most complicated phases of its test mission.
Boeing has spent $1.5 billion in cost overruns beyond its $4.5-billion NASA development contract.
Boeing’s ineptness in rocketry is neatly matched by its dismal inability to manufacture airplanes that are safe to fly, and its aviation sales have nearly collapsed. But not to worry: the company, whose troubles began when it replaced engineers with financial bean counters in the executive suite, is righting its ship: it’s expected to appoint a (biological, alas) female as its CEO and, although she appears to be a little on the white side, she’s unburdened with any scientific or engineering training that might otherwise distract her from her primary role of increasing the stock option prices for her fellow executives. And she also, mind you, “is a passionate advocate for developing and nurturing our talented Boeing teammates and creating a working environment where every person can thrive.”
Suppliers Think Pope Will Be Next Boeing CEO.
From her corporate bio:
Stephanie Pope is chief operating officer of The Boeing Company and executive vice president, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, with primary responsibility for leading the commercial airplanes business and strengthening safety and quality across its operations. Commercial Airplanes specializes in the design, production and delivery of airplanes to customers worldwide with more than 13,000 Boeing jetliners in service today.
Prior to this role, Pope served as chief operating officer for the company since January 2024. Before that, she was president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, from April 2022 to December 2023, with responsibility for leading Boeing’s aerospace services business supporting commercial, government and aviation industry customers worldwide.
Previously, Pope was vice president and chief financial officer of Commercial Airplanes, from December 2020 to March 2022, with responsibility for the financial management and strategic, long-range business planning for the business unit.
Earlier, Pope was vice president and chief financial officer of Boeing Global Services, where she oversaw all financial activities for the business unit and was instrumental in its establishment in 2017.
Pope also served as vice president of Finance and controller for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, with responsibility for the regulatory compliance of the business unit as well as ensuring the accuracy, transparency and timeliness of its financial disclosures.
In her three decades at Boeing, Pope has held several other senior leadership positions at the corporate and program levels.
Pope is also a passionate advocate for developing and nurturing our talented Boeing teammates and creating a working environment where every person can thrive. As a member of Boeing’s Executive Council, Pope serves as the executive sponsor of Boeing Women Inspiring Leadership, a business resource group dedicated to increasing gender diversity awareness and promoting diverse representation among women.
Pope was an Eisenhower Fellow in Brussels and Ireland in 2008 and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southwest Missouri State University and a Master of Business Administration from Lindenwood University. Prior to this role, Pope served as chief operating officer for the company since January 2024. Before that, she was president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, from April 2022 to December 2023, with responsibility for leading Boeing’s aerospace services business supporting commercial, government and aviation industry customers worldwide.
Previously, Pope was vice president and chief financial officer of Commercial Airplanes, from December 2020 to March 2022, with responsibility for the financial management and strategic, long-range business planning for the business unit.
