Space-X Saves NASA and Boeing From a Disaster

Planning your next vacation? Boeing is offering a once in a lifetime two-week trip to the ISS. But be warned, it is only a one way trip. Don’t expect to make it back the same way.

 

NASA, under its contract with Boeing, took two astronauts via the Boeing Starliner to the space station in June for an eight-day stay. This was after three delays due to helium leakage on the launch pad. Finally, they arrived after several nail-biting hours attempting the docking maneuver.

Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were piloting the maiden voyage of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, have been stuck in space for sixty-three days. They have been in frequent contact their families as they await their ultimate fate. “Butch and Suni are ready to support whatever we need to do,” Dana Weigel, the program manager for the International Space Station. “They’re prepared for whatever path that we go down.”

Now, NASA is exploring with Elon Musk the possibility to use Space-X Crew-9 to rescue them. However, it appears the earliest this may occur is in February, 2025.

This is now the latest in a series of failures for Boeing. This is in addition to the 737 Max 8 and Max 9 fiascoes, the 787 Dreamliner problems from a decade ago, ongoing FAA audit failures and the suspicious recent death of a whistleblower. And the potentially corrupt cozy relationship between Boeing and the Federal government with the awarding of contracts with NASA.

It Is not reassuring for anyone, knowing the helium issue is not yet resolved. It is over two months since Starliner docked and neither NASA nor Boeing have any clue how to fix it. Thankfully, no one has died. YET.

While NASA is warning about possible risks on Starliner, Boeing is insisting that a return flight would be safe for the astronauts. In a statement on Friday, Boeing maintained that returning in the craft would pose no risk to the astronauts.

But what if Boeing wrong? Fifteen Americans and four Russians died in space. Three Americans died performing a test on the Apollo One. Presently, there are four astronauts and three cosmonauts plus Wilmore and Williams at the station. If Boeing is wrong and the attempt to bring back the Starliner blows up the entire space station, and kills all nine people, what will its executives say then? OOPS? My bad?

I would not trust anything Boeing says or does now. I will want all parties concerned to wait until Space-X saves the day.