• TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Lmao.

    I’m sorry to laugh, but it’s just the absurdity of it all.

    The downward spiral of Boeing is insane.

    • teamevil@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Because for goddamn reason we socialize the losses and privatize the profits

      • orcrist@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        Those reasons being monopolies and greed and corruption and capitalism.

    • MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      Read the article.

      Boeing might opt to cancel Starliner and leave NASA with just a single provider of crew transportation. That would be painful for both NASA and Boeing.

    • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Because the knuckle heads that protest end up in the streets for things they cant ever change instead actual concrete problems they could change with pressure.

  • lemmeout@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    But don’t worry though, NASA says the astronauts are “not stranded”.

    • cygnus@lemmy.ca
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      5 months ago

      Totally not stranded! The capsule that will bring them back just goes to another school.

    • mkwt@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Yeah, I am seriously upset. NASA press office seems to be telling lies left and right, and they think they’re just pulling the old Washington spin cycle, but it’s obvious lies. And they’re easy out of line.

      They issued a 248k “emergency” engineering study contract to SpaceX to support extra pax on the dragon. NASA press office claimed this award had absolutely nothing to do with Crew Test, but this was immediately contradicted by anonymous internal sources.

      Heads need to roll at NASA PAO.

      • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Totally not related. Just requested shortly after Starliner arrived at the station with issues. With an expeditious response. Totally normal procedures. Nothing to see here.

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Yes, these headlines are continuing to say the astronauts are stranded, which really isn’t the case. This vehicle is working well enough to return them at any time.

      The thing is, there is something weird going on with some of the thrusters (of which there are many for redundancy) and this is their only chance to investigate the issue. If they were to return with the astronauts now, it would mean leaving the thrust module to burn up in the atmosphere, and then we wouldn’t be able to test the problematic parts. We could still do that (leave now), but we’d miss out on this opportunity to test hardware and understand better why some thrusters failed.

      On the other hand, this is still a huge waste of money and it’s one more example of Boeing bungling things. So I’m not saying this is a great situation, just that the astronauts are not actually “stranded”.

      • bradorsomething@ttrpg.network
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        5 months ago

        Perhaps if they released some clue what they are learning, and what weeks 9, 10, 11, and 12 will reveal about the problem. Around week 4 this was a PR disaster and the silence is speaking even if they aren’t.

        • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Well, the aerospace industry is not really known for moving quickly… But then Boeing collects a paycheck either way, so they don’t seem to be in any particular hurry.

          But I don’t know, I’m not sure it’s a pr disaster, I mean it’s no worse than it usually is up there. We’ve had a Soyuz that sprang a leak and started venting atmosphere. We’ve had random helium leaks into crew compartments. We’ve run out of working eva suits. We’ve had resupply missions that never actually made it all the way to orbit, we’ve had a lot of non-critical internal equipment failures.

          It’s a real challenge keeping everything working, this is just one example of how things can go wrong. (Though admittedly, not a lot has really ever gone right with Starliner.)

      • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Pretty sure the ISS always has a Soyuz on hand to bring astronauts back, but if they use that, then all the astronauts have to go back because the “bail out” options will be gone. So troubleshooting and getting the boeing capsule working is the primary goal.

        • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Well yes, that would suck to have to abandon the ISS for any period. Definitely not optimal. But as I said, they could leave in the Starliner right now, if they wanted, they have more than enough thrusters functional to control the craft. It just makes more sense to stay until they’ve done all the troubleshooting and know how to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

    • sudo42@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Boeing doesn’t listen to their engineers, but we’re supposed to listen to their marketing department.

    • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      They’re not. Whether they return on Starliner is the question. SpaceX can send a Dragon up to bring them back easily.

      • lemmeout@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        As far as the Starliner mission is considered, they are stranded. Dragon is the rescue mission.

        • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I mean, Soyuz is the emergency rescue plan. Usually 2 of them sit docked to the ISS at all times for just this purpose. But regardless, the Starliner is functional enough they could leave right now if they had to. They just aren’t stranded, NASA isn’t just like… lying.

          The Starliner has redundant systems and even with several thrusters offline it’s still within safe operating parameters. They’re keeping it docked because they want to figure out the problem, not because they need to figure out the problem.

          There isn’t a dragon capsule ready to go at the moment, but it doesn’t really matter, it shouldn’t be needed. Because as I said, nobody is stranded, at least not yet.

  • huquad@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    Two “not stranded” astronauts becoming increasingly stranded. More at 6

  • demizerone@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Holy shit. I got banned from reddit for saying the Boeing starliner astronauts should fear for their lives cuz Boeing. It was a joke, did not want it to become true! Hopefully they come home safe!

    • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      Wow that’s actually crazy that they banned you for that lmao they couldn’t make it any more obvious they got bought off by private companies, yikes. I’m glad Lemmy isn’t prone to that, inherently by design.

      • demizerone@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I got banned by a bot that found my comment and some human approved it. I deleted everything after that. 15 years, almost all of those with direct financial support.

        • ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          They autodelete any posts or comments I have tried to make on the SteamDeck subreddit, even ones highly praising Valve, and yet reddit is still filled with spam bots. I don’t have to worry about that at all here. It’s incredible how much of a shithole reddit is now.

    • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      A total ban like mine?

      I got banned for going to sniffies and bringing people from there to r/Seattlegay, which I started during the pandemic.

      They banned me site wise on all my accounts and all my devices.

      • demizerone@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        It was a 3 day ban, but my first in 15 years on the site, and with “Reddit Pro” membership or whatever they called it. Yeah no thanks.

  • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    When it had issues immediately post-launch, there were a LOT of Boeing-defenders: “oh no, keeping it there is a precaution, there’s nothing seriously wrong with it. They’re definitely not stuck on the station…”

    Yeah. When this fucking death trap was launched WHILE HAVING ISSUES, I knew it wasn’t going to be a quick round trip. Frankly, I’d be amazed if those astronauts up there would be willing to take the return trip on it. NASA has a poor track record in that regard.

    I absolutely love spaceflight and whole heartedly support programs. But Boeing needs to not be making spacecraft that humans fly on.

    • Emerald@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Frankly, I’d be amazed if those astronauts up there would be willing to take the return trip on it.

      Why would you be surprised? They both have military experience… they do what they are told. Also they trust NASA and Boeing enough to be launched in the craft to begin with.

  • dugmeup@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    A top option should also be removing the current Boeing board and C suite. What a debacle.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Y’know one of those “options” was not to send it after the leaks were discovered.

    Then they were all like, “Pffft. It’s fiiine. Just go.”

    Then they were up there all, “Okay, so, slight delay”

    Then, “Okay well that’s borked, but don’t worry, it’s all being handled.”

    Now it’s “Options, anyone? Yes, all of them.”

    • orcrist@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      The astronauts took off in that machine after the Boeing airplane fiascoes went mainstream. What was going through their heads? Why did they think this time would be OK when it’s that much riskier than ordinary plane flights?

      I would love to hear their interviews after they return safely, somehow, in the future.

    • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Once it reaches max altitude to match theirs, a welcome mat is pulled out by the release of the safety doors. A bag of screws is located under your seat under the flotation device. Just pull the rug in and bolt the door back safely.

  • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    It seems to me like we should be at the point where there should just always be a backup plan so the people taking the real risks don’t have to sit around waiting for 8+ weeks as some people try to do best by them while others just try to cover their assess and pretend everything is ok because they are fucked if things aren’t ok and might be inclined to risk lives in the hopes they get the good outcome.

  • ekZepp@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I’m just glad they have a ready-to-deploy backup plan. SpaceX is nailing it. I just hope that the future will remember the terrific work that Gwynne Shotwell and many others did while “someone else” where busy tossing money away.

      • ekZepp@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Well, this was actually fkning concerning. Ofk is not like other Company aren’t playing to launch thousand of satellites too. There should be a serious regulation and some heavy changes in the metal alloy used at very least. I’m sure that Trump already has a plan about it…

        … ofk i’m fking kidding. Vote [everyone else] x president .

        • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          So we’re starting to look at aluminum debris in the upper atmosphere, when are we going to look at carbon fibre debris? Or rocket fuel in the upper atmosphere? We dont know what any of that shit does. Im going to hazard a guess that it does nothing good.

          If you were to light ten thousand Starlink satellites on fire in a bonfire on the ground people would put you in jail. When it happens in the upper atmosphere its called progress.

          • ekZepp@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Completely stopping the launch of new satellites will simply not happen. The only realistic response is to face the problem and improve the technology.

            • Optional@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Just like they’re doing with the climate catastrophe.

              Reasoned, sensible change, carried out quickly and paid for by the companies responsible.

        • yogurt@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Type of metal doesn’t matter, it’s any particle that leftover CFCs from the 1970s can stick to and make it more likely for them to react and destroy ozone. The ozone hole is over Antarctica and changes size seasonally because high altitude ice clouds do the same thing, smoke from forest fires also does it.

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        5 months ago

        You can criticise them for that while being glad they are a reliable astronaut transport, unlike Boeing. The world is not black and white.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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          5 months ago

          I am glad of that, but this is what I responded to:

          SpaceX is nailing it. I just hope that the future will remember the terrific work that Gwynne Shotwell and many others did while “someone else” where busy tossing money away.

      • MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        Aluminum is a major element of the 5200 tons of stardust per year. Sadly found no numbers.

        Elements

      • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Ehhh needs more study. Aluminum oxides in the atmosphere actually provide a cooling effect. That being said, we don’t know much about the health implications yet.

        • Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          If you read the article the hazard is the Aluminum Oxide could deplete the Ozone layer. So a disruption to a different ecological process rather than the Greenhouse effect.

        • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          Right on. The “cooling effect” will hopefully offset all the kerosene and methane they’re injecting into the upper atmosphere and oceans.

          • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            They’re injecting water vapor and carbon dioxide, as well as soot (not kerosene or methane). I don’t mean to imply that it’s not an issue, but that more study is warranted (the article says the same thing).

            • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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              5 months ago

              Do you know what those clouds are that come out of the engine at cut off and start up are? Not water vapour or carbon dioxide.

              • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                If we’re talking Falcon 9, the ignition is using TEA-TEB, a fairly nasty hypergolic. It burns to water vapor and carbon dioxide, plus some boron oxides.

                Starship doesn’t use a chemical igniter, so yes, there’s probably a small amount of methane that escapes during ignition. Generally though the combustion for Starship is incredibly clean, with something like a 99.5% efficiency.

                • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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                  5 months ago

                  Theres nothing to ignite unless the pumps are running full speed. The pumps keep running after after the fire goes out. What are those pumps pumping?

          • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Oh boy, you’d better not look at the cattle industry then.

            Every rocket launch ever done in history doesn’t make even a blip on the graph for human-related carbon emissions.

            • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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              5 months ago

              I love that “drop in the bucket” justification. In the 1900’s car exhaust was a huge innovation because it did away with the mountains of horse shit produced by carriages.

  • AshMan85@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    boeing should have all contracts cancelled and be broken up. every gov’t. official that OK’d the starliner and this mission should be fired and investigated.