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Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

jalopnik.com

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Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#51

Post by stronglikedan »

teamspirit wrote: post #49
ActionHank wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Boeing execs should be held criminally accountable for their leadership that has resulted in this mess. People should be in prison.

Why does it feel like we don’t have criminal responsibility (well, accountability) here in the US? So much criminal wrongdoing and the company just pays a fine and everything continues as usual.

It doesn't feel like that. It is like that. Companies are their own entities, separate from the people that run them, and you can't put a company in jail. This muddies the water as to who can be held accountable and prosecuted.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#52

Post by Tyr42 »

ActionHank wrote: post #15
ChocolateGod wrote: post #3

Boeing need to stop being given contracts, from the Starliner issues on top of the various scandals with the quality control of their planes, it's clear to see they have no value in human life.

Boeing execs should be held criminally accountable for their leadership that has resulted in this mess. People should be in prison.

Or you could send them to space in their craft.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#54

Post by snotrockets »

yieldcrv wrote: post #36
ChocolateGod wrote: post #3

Boeing need to stop being given contracts, from the Starliner issues on top of the various scandals with the quality control of their planes, it's clear to see they have no value in human life.

The only reason they got the space contract was so that the US Government wasnt relying on just Space X The US govt is now relying on just Space X

Solve two birds with one stone and nationalize SpaceX.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#55

Post by DiggyJohnson »

snotrockets wrote: post #54
yieldcrv wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only reason they got the space contract was so that the US Government wasnt relying on just Space X The US govt is now relying on just Space X

Solve two birds with one stone and nationalize SpaceX.

How would that accomplish either of the two?

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#56

Post by spankalee »

eschneider wrote: post #34

How could they possibly screw up so badly that a SW update would brick the thing? Did they forget the logic to just reboot to last good/factory FW in case of failure? This feels like the story they're telling isn't the real story because that's just basic, basic shit that gets beaten on all the time during development.

You're used to consumer software updates that have been tested over literally billions of updates. And they're brilliant - they mostly just work well enough that you don't expect your phone or computer to get bricked during one. But there are rare cases where something goes wrong and they do get bricked. For something like the first ever software update in space, I'd expect the chances of something catastrophic happening would be much higher.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#57

Post by wongarsu »

markus_zhang wrote: post #32
ChocolateGod wrote: post #3

Boeing need to stop being given contracts, from the Starliner issues on top of the various scandals with the quality control of their planes, it's clear to see they have no value in human life.

Boeing probably has a lot of politicians in their pockets. And it is one of the largest defense companies. And NASA needs at least two for competition. So I don't think it's going to change much. But I do agree that NASA should reward more contracts to SpaceX until Boeing proves its competence.

In the selection for the commercial crew program they chose Boeing's Starliner as the safe bet and SpaceX's Crew Dragon add the alternative from the newcomer.

In future bids SpaceX can seamlessly take the role of the experienced company with track record, and thanks to SpaceX's success there are plenty of startups bidding to take the role of the innovative alternative.

Boeing's position in defence and aerospace is very safe, but to keep their space division running they will have to let that lobbying shine

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#58

Post by AnimalMuppet »

bunderbunder wrote: post #20
arthurcolle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

too big to fail for airlines/ space companies. It is crazy how this has played out and its just like not even considered in the larger picture of their airplanes falling out of the sky.

I'm getting rather disillusioned with that phrase. The one immutable constant of being "too big to fail" is that it guarantees failure.

"To big to fail" is declared after a failure that should have been company-ending.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#59

Post by snotrockets »

stronglikedan wrote: post #51
teamspirit wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does it feel like we don’t have criminal responsibility (well, accountability) here in the US? So much criminal wrongdoing and the company just pays a fine and everything continues as usual.

It doesn't feel like that. It is like that. Companies are their own entities, separate from the people that run them, and you can't put a company in jail. This muddies the water as to who can be held accountable and prosecuted.

Putting people in jail shouldn’t be an end goal. There are two reasons to jail a person: 1. Prohibit them from causing further harm. 2. Revenge.

The latter, I hope were better than that. And to prohibit the possible offenders here, no need to jail them. Just forbid them from serving in capacity that can cause such harm: bar them from serving in executive or decision making role.

Re: Boeing Starliner could brick ISS docking port if crew abandons it

#60

Post by btown »

eschneider wrote: post #34

How could they possibly screw up so badly that a SW update would brick the thing? Did they forget the logic to just reboot to last good/factory FW in case of failure? This feels like the story they're telling isn't the real story because that's just basic, basic shit that gets beaten on all the time during development.

A docking system has many, many moving parts under significant stress, and not all of them are tested under the assumption that arbitrary software could drive their positions/torques beyond assumed limits. You can’t factory-reset metal fatigue after it has happened. It’s quite reasonable for NASA to say “this OTA update has to be tested and QA’d to the most rigorous standards.”
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