Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner completed the first land touchdown of a human-rated capsule in U.S. history.
Sure, the spacecraft didn’t reach its expected orbit or dock to the International Space Station as planned.
But it did complete a number of test objectives for NASA, including the launch of the first United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
Scheduled to lift off by early 2018, the test flight was initially postponed to August 2019, then rescheduled for Dec. 17. It finally left Earth on the morning of Dec. 20.
The trial was intended to provide valuable data on the end-to-end performance of the Atlas V rocket, Starliner spacecraft, and grous systems, as well as in-orbit docking and landing operations.
And while all did not go to plan, Boeing was able to assess various systems, including propulsion, communications, navigation, docking, environmental control, and life support.
“This is why we conduct these tests, to learn and improve our systems,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “The information gained from this mission of Starliner will be critical in our efforts to strengthen NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and return America’s human spaceflight capability.”
Perhaps its biggest triumph, though, was returning to New Mexico’s White Sands Space Harbor on Sunday.
Following a deorbit burn, separation of the spacecraft’s service module, and successful deployment of its parachutes and airbags, Starliner settled gently onto Earth just before 8 a.m. ET.
“[The] successful landing of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is a testament to the women and men who have dedicated themselves to ensuring Starliner can safely transport crews to low-Earth orbit and back [again],” Boeing Senior Vice President of Space and Launch Jim Chilton said.
“The Starliner Orbital Flight Test has and will continue to provide incredibly valuable data that we, along with the NASA team, will use to support future Starliner missions launched from and returning to American soil,” he added.
This mission, though seen by some as a “failure,” has “only strengthened the resolve” of all parties involved, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard.
“Systems were tested, but more importantly teams were tested,” he explained. “The hardest parts of this mission were a tremendous success.”
Moving forward, the Starliner will be refurbished for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test and, eventually, its first operational crewed mission. NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who will join the flight, dubbed the spacecraft “Calypso,” after the ship of famed explorer Jacques Cousteau.
“I love what the ocean means to this planet,” Williams said. “We would not be this planet without the ocean. There’s so much to discover in the ocean, and there’s so much to discover in space.”
More on Geek.com:
- Two Beluga Whales Flown on Boeing 747 From China to Iceland
- This Boeing 747 Will Be Sunk as Part of Underwater Theme Park
- Boeing Unveils ‘Wingman’ Drone That Could Fly Alongside Fighter Jets
from Geek.com https://ift.tt/2Qdg0io
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment