back to article Nothing says 'We believe in you' like NASA switching two 'nauts off Boeing's Starliner onto SpaceX's Crew Dragon

NASA has shown its tremendous confidence in Boeing's Starliner by shifting astronauts scheduled to launch aboard the calamity capsule to SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The affected 'nauts are Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, who were slated for the Crew Flight Test and Starliner-1 missions respectively. Both were selected by NASA in 2013 …

  1. Martin Summers Silver badge

    If any of the remaining crew set to launch on that capsule had any sense they'd pull out. I wouldn't go up in it. I suspect anyone who has been following Boeing showering themselves in glory with their aircraft 'accidents', wouldn't either.

    1. StrangerHereMyself Silver badge

      I believe this is the reason the commander bowed out.

      He refused to put his life on the line flying this shoddy craft into an airless environment.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        But "un-named crewman" and "red-shirt" are both on the list for the next flight

        1. Fr. Ted Crilly Silver badge

          He has a name you know... Kowalski

      2. TeeCee Gold badge
        Alert

        As it's Boeing, I doubt it was the flight he was worried about.

        More likely the sudden stop at the end of it.

      3. Vulch

        His daughter had moved her wedding once to avoid clashing with the originally planned flight. When the flight was delayed to a date where it would once more clash with the re-arranged wedding he chose family over flight.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Given Boeings schedule so far it would probably have clashed with his grand-daughter's wedding

          1. andrewj

            Or worse, crashed with it.

            1. JDPower666

              No one likes a wedding crasher

      4. ian 22
        Happy

        So fright over flight?

  2. GBE

    When an astronaut says "no thanks" to a space flight...

    Three-time Space Shuttle flyer Christoper Ferguson bowed out of his role as commander of the first crewed Starliner mission in 2020. This is a move which, in retrospect, seems to have been a canny one.

    That's putting it mildly. From everything I've read, NASA's astronauts are a pretty eager and ambitious group and wouldn't be discouraged from a space flight by something trivial like the risk of dying. However, the risk of sitting on your ass doing nothing during years of delays while other people fly on other platforms —that's something to be avoided at all costs.

  3. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

    It's a Boeing. They ain't going.

  4. Gene Cash Silver badge

    "Curse of the Calamity Capsule" is going on a plaque, along with "The one-ton Mars-invading laser-toting nuclear-powered space truck Curiosity"

    There's a reason I get my space news from El Reg! (and yes, I 3D printed that on a plaque for my LEGO Curiosity model display)

    Anyway, not only did the capsule have to give up the launch due to sticking valves, it had to make way for the Crew Dragon, and is delayed while Crew Dragon occupies its primary docking port. THAT has gotta sting. "Git outta the way, kiddo, I got WORK to do!"

  5. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Now there are a couple of spare seats I'm sure a couple of the Boeing board or C-suite will want to muscle in. After Branson et al put themselves in the fornt of their queues. RHIP - Rand Has Its Privileges. Surely they're not worried about the H.

    1. tfewster
      Facepalm

      That would help boost confidence in their product - if they can find a driver.

      Who would have thought a mega-corp with decades of experience engineering safety-critical systems would have been beaten by an upstart "move fast and break things" startup?

      1. Mike 16

        Decades of experience

        To be fair, the Boeing with decades of experience is not the Boeing of today, due to a head transplant from Mc-Douglas. The Fish rots from the head.

        Boeing is no more Boeing today than AT&T, HP, or Maytag are what the names on their tins profess.

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
      Headmaster

      "RHIP - Rand Has Its Privileges. Surely they're not worried about the H."

      It's usually written and pronounced "hath" in that context.

  6. Binraider Silver badge

    At this rate NASA can probably start thinking of invoking non-delivery clauses.

    It is a commercial crew contract, after all.

    Gus Grissom famously hung a lemon inside what became Apollo 1. One dreads to think how the Boeing is regarded by the crews by comparison.

    1. grndkntrl

      Maybe a plushie version of this: https://www.thecalmzone.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Emoji-image-1.png

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Prediction

    The astronauts assigned to the Starliner will be retired by the time the Starliner launches

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Prediction

      It's like one of those SF stories about generations being born and living on a starship heading for a distant star.

      Generations of astronauts will grow up waiting for Starliner and SLS

    2. Marcelo Rodrigues
      Devil

      Re: Prediction

      "The astronauts assigned to the Starliner will be retired by the time the Starliner launches"

      Not to worry: I'm sure they have plenty of lemon scented napkins.

  8. werdsmith Silver badge

    The once glorious designer of such icons as the 747 is now the jackass of the engineering world.

    1. John Doe 12

      The 747 was an accidental success in that it was only meant to be a stopgap until more exciting projects came to fruition. These projects went the same direction as the Starliner seems to be heading and this meant the 747 became the mainstay.

  9. Ian Johnston Silver badge

    Is it not time for them to rebrand the Starliner as the Starliner Max? No extra training required, natch.

    1. TVU Silver badge

      "Is it not time for them to rebrand the Starliner as the Starliner Max?"

      That is a very relevant comment because in recent years Boeing executives effectively abandoned their previous engineering excellence and public safety first policies in favour of bean counting and quick fixes and the inevitable result was the 737 Max with its terrible disasters.

      1. A.P. Veening Silver badge

        That is a very relevant comment because in recent years Boeing executives effectively abandoned their previous engineering excellence and public safety first policies in favour of bean counting and quick fixes and the inevitable result was the 737 Max with its terrible disasters.

        Not quite, the Boeing engineering executives were replaced by McDonnel-Douglas bean counting and button sorting executives when Boeing "took over"*) McDonnel-Douglas.

        *) Officially (and according to the finances), Boeing took over McDonnel-Douglas. When you look at the management and executive level, McDonnel-Douglas took over Boeing while keeping the name of the latter for the reputation.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

          "*) Officially (and according to the finances), Boeing took over McDonnel-Douglas. When you look at the management and executive level, McDonnel-Douglas took over Boeing while keeping the name of the latter for the reputation."

          The same happened in the UK cable TV/BB industry when the smaller Telewest "bought" the larger NTL. In that case, it was because of existing lucrative contracts including a joint venture with the BBC for the UKTV channels. If the buyout had happened the other way, the UKTV contract would have been voided. I'd not be surprised if the MD/Boeing"buy out" had similar contractual reasons for happening the way it did.

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        "Boeing executives effectively abandoned their previous engineering excellence and public safety first policies in favour of bean counting"

        Maybe they should go into the coffee business?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Even if Starship/Superheavy doesn't work out, I can't see the SLS getting much use now. Now SpaceX has proven that booster reusability is a perfectly achievable thing, and has the track record in actual use to prove it, anything in the same payload to orbit category that doesnt involve reusable boosters is at best obsolescent, if not actually obsolete - and a damned sight more expensive as well.

    Yes, having more than one supplier of launchers is definitely a good thing for NASA to have, but given how Congress tends to pare NASA's budget to the bone, NASA cant affford overly expensive "options" that exist mainly due to the whims of politicians wanting work for companies in their home state. The other aerospace companies need to pull their fingers out and start producing products that can match or best SpaceX products. Even Blue origin, which started out working on re-usable boosters, has been overtaken and left in the dust by SpaceX!

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like