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SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

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Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#261

Post by elif »

iterance wrote: post #73
mannyv wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well hmm. NASA decided Starliner wasn't safe enough to use for the return journey, so the astronauts stayed on the ISS until the next ride became available. Originally the astronauts were supposed to go back on Starliner. Now they're taking another ride back. Is that considered a rescue? Well, it depends. If you get left behind on an island because your ride wasn't safe and another boat picks you up, is that a rescue…

Following the analogy... you're on an island. A ferry has showed up at the island every six months or so for the last 40 years. The last ferry that showed up broke before it could leave the harbor. No need to worry, though. Another ferry's coming in six months and there are plenty of supplies on the island. Is it rescue? Maybe in the sense that you can't leave when you wanted to and now you have to wait. But not in t…

On an island you can call for a boat or a helicopter. You can relax and eat all your food knowing those options exist.

On a space station your options are considerably more limited.

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#262

Post by criddell »

afh1 wrote: post #242
mlyle wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They regularly tamp down on sensationalist headlines.

Is that even possible to do in an unbiased way?

I don’t think they’ve ever claimed to be unbiased. They want shorter headlines with less sensationalism. That’s a bias.

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#263

Post by elif »

panick21_ wrote: post #105
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> not in the sense that you were ever in any real danger The analogy breaks down because an island isn’t space. Your default state on an island tends towards remaining alive. Your default state in space is dead. A closer analogy is a plane in flight. It takes energy and effort to keep everyone alive. Externally-assisted recovery from peril, in that situation, is a rescue. Even if it’s convenient.

No astronaut has died on ISS in 30 years. Claiming they are in significant danger simply isn't accurate. Saying 'the default state in space is dead' when historically basically nobody has died in space.

No speeder has ever died on the highway either. It's only the crashing drivers who died.

It is likewise as foolish to try decoupling the peril of space and the peril of orbit and deorbit.

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#264

Post by ceejayoz »

ericpauley wrote: post #260
elif wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you have extremely limited supplies, are as isolated from humanity as possible, and there are only 2 vehicles capable of transporting you, and one of them is reigniting a cold war with you, you are considered imperiled. I'm sorry. If dragon did not exist, the rescue mission would still be embroiled in diplomacy and not in orbit already. You only get the luxury of your non-rescue position due to hindsight.

But dragon does exist. This is like saying you’re stranded when you’re car camping in the woods.

Helicopters exist, but when one picks me up from my campsite in the woods, I'm probably being rescued.

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#265

Post by jbkkd »

chainingsolid wrote: post #246
jbkkd wrote: post #188

What's the suit situation here? Did SpaceX make two new suits for them to use on the way back, or are they using their Boeing suits to fly back? I'd imagine the former, but genuinely curious this time.

I believe new suits where made/available somehow. The SpaceX and Boeing suits are not compatible with the others space craft.

Found the answer:

> Stich said there is a space suit already on the ISS that one of the astronauts can use for the return trip, and the Crew 9 mission will bring another suit.

https://fortune.com/2024/08/24/boeing-starliner-astronauts-n...

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#266

Post by addaon »

nick3443 wrote: post #159
addaon wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is the situation normal, or common? They went up on an experimental spacecraft on its shakedown cruise. They’re coming down on a different spacecraft than planned — a different make of spacecraft, even. That’s never happened before, and is neither normal nor common. The spacecraft type they flew up will almost certainly never fly again because of how badly the shakedown went. That’s never happened before to a manne…

>>The spacecraft type they flew up will almost certainly never fly again because of how badly the shakedown went. I haven't seen this in the reporting. Can you share any context for it?

There’s been a bit of reporting on Boeing “considering” whether to cancel the remains of this program. There’s been no reporting on any decision — likely because Boeing hasn’t made one. But there’s zero financial upside to continuing, and zero PR upside to continuing… and I just don’t see any world in which Boeing, in its current state, continues to spend billions of dollars of its own money to set up more and more elaborate shows of its own (well understood, internally) incompetence. So, complete speculation on my side, but I’m comfortable enough making that speculation without a throwaway account.

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#267

Post by [deleted] »

dotnet00 wrote: post #3

Man the reporting on this ordeal has been so awful and so representative of how media misleads the public into thinking things are worse than they actually are. It isn't a rescue mission, it's a regular crew rotation mission with modifications to account for the extra crew left on the station, and those crew are 'stuck' only in the sense that they're expected to stay there as part of their duties and it would be unne…

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#268

Post by [deleted] »

natch wrote: post #142

Was the title edited after the fact by mods? The original title has the word "rescue." The top comment is questioning the use of this word. It seems likely that when the story originally appeared on HN, it had the accurate title reflecting the title of the article. Thus the comment from dotnet00, which I'm neutral on. But then, it would appear, the title was altered, to dampen a controversy? Is this how things are do…

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#269

Post by [deleted] »

LeroyRaz wrote: post #87

To everyone saying "oh, the astronauts like having to be up there. It is an opportunity." You get that they have no choice, right? And that for multiple reasons they are going to put the best spin on the event. For one, for their own sanity, they are going to be as positive and optimistic as possible. For two, there is likely a huge PR pressure to be as positive and optimistic as possible. Being in space is a pretty…

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX launches mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck on the ISS

#270

Post by sneak »

panick21_ wrote: post #124
sneak wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much of SpaceX’s boring day to day stuff (including ~all of the F9 stuff) do you think he has a hand in anymore? Isn’t he running Tesla, Twitter, Neuralink, The Boring Company, Starlink, and the Starship R&D, including its first-of-it’s-kind Raptor engine design which just hit major version 3? And also raising the remainder of his 12 kids (~8?) that are still speaking to him? I’m fairly certain that most of the “…

In literally every thread about SpaceX people who don't like Musk (and sometimes others), people bring up Shotwell. Of course her name doesn't come up as often as Musk, Musk is literally one of the most famous people on earth, a highly controversial public figure and one of the richest people on the plant, who also owns and leads the company. For most other tech companies people done even know the Nr.2 person in the…

The numbers 2-4 at Apple come up quite often, but “how annoying it is to work with Tim Cook” isn’t a recurring thread, despite his also being one of the most famous, wealthy, and powerful people on Earth as well.

Joel Spoksky’s meeting with Bill Gates about Excel is famous lore in our circles as well, although I doubt Spolsky was ever even top 10 at Microsoft.

Werner Vogels comes up fairly often, too.

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