Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which launched NASA Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams to the International Space Station, is pictured docked to the front port of the Harmony module. This time-lapse photo was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soars 256 miles above the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India. Credit: NASA
Engineers in NASA and Boeing are investigating recent engine tests to ensure the safe return of the Boeing Crew Flight Test. At the same time, ISS astronauts participate in health and scientific experiments, contributing to our understanding of the impact of space on human physiology and material science.
NASA and Boeing engineers evaluate engine test results last week at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico as the team works on plans to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from International Space Station in the coming weeks.
Teams have completed hot-fire testing on the ground at White Sands and are working to evaluate test data and verify the test engine. The ongoing ground analysis is expected to continue throughout the week. Working with a thrust response control system designed for a future Starliner spacecraft, ground crews fired the engine under similar flight conditions that the spacecraft experienced en route to the space station. The ground tests also included stress triggers and replicated conditions the Starliner thrusters would experience from disengagement to orbital burn, where the thrusters would trigger to decelerate the Starliner to bring it out of orbit for a landing in the southwest United States.
For a detailed overview of the test plans, listen to a replay of a recent media conference call with NASA and Boeing management:
“I am extremely proud of the team at NASA and Boeing for their hard work in executing a very complex series of tests,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We have collected an incredible amount of data about the thruster that can help us better understand what happens during flight. Our team then moved on to engine disassembly and inspections, which will provide additional insight as we analyze the results and evaluate next steps.”
Preparing for the Starliner’s return to Earth
Integrated ground teams are also preparing for an in-depth review of the agency’s flight test readiness, which will evaluate data related to the performance of the spacecraft’s propulsion system before it returns to Earth. The date of the agency’s review has not yet been confirmed.
NASA and Boeing management plan to discuss the testing and analysis work in detail during a media briefing next week. More information about the briefing will be provided shortly.
NASA astronaut and Boeing Flight Test Crew Commander Butch Wilmore works on the Fluid Systems Service, which drains, cleans and circulates fluids in systems aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
ISS astronaut activities and research
While tests and analyzes are underway on Earth, NASA astronauts Butch Willmore, Starliner mission commander, and Sunny Williams, mission pilot, are working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. The two participated in a vein scan with the Ultrasound 2 machine on Monday. Doctors on the ground watched in real time as the pair took turns imaging each other’s neck, shoulder and leg veins. Wilmore then scanned the veins of fellow NASA astronaut Matthew Dominik, helping researchers understand how microgravity affects the human body.
Wilmore and Dominic also spent part of the day taking inventory of the food stored aboard the space station. Williams is working on two studies, first exploring the use of microgravity to produce optical fibers of higher quality than on Earth. Williams is also exploring the use of fluid physics, such as surface tension, to overcome the lack of gravity to water and nourish plants grown in space.
