Live data from Hacker News

Crew-9 Returns to Earth

spacex.com

331–340 of 712 posts

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#331

The optics of this were really bad As much as people were saying they were not stranded (and honestly they weren't), having your mission jump from a few days to months is a bummer. Sure, for a carreer astronaut, that's a great experience. But still, well, if I was sent on a professional mission for 3 days and had to stay a couple of months I would be very annoyed, as cool as the mission was. Especially as it was due…

Many astronauts get only one chance ever to do this thing which they train for their whole lives. Getting 9 months instead of 8 days seems like a huge deal.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#333
post #277

Eric Berger has a good summary on the narrative: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/03/can-nasa-remain-nonpar...

Interesting to complain about partisan politics and then write an extremely partisan article

How would it be possible to critique these partisan comments by Trump and Musk without writing an article like this?

What would you have preferred they said?

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Elon really had that much to do with this.

Before he took his recent (regrettable) turn he did pour his heart and soul (and personal fortune) into SpaceX for over a decade. If it weren't for SpaceX we'd be relying on the incompetent monstrosities of Boeing or ULA.

It seemed to all start going wrong with "pedo guy". Before then Musk was doing great things at Tesla and SpaceX.

After that he started getting more and more unhinged, leading through to buying twitter, then trying to get out of it, then doubling down.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#335
post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their opening paragraph immediately attempts to trigger partisan responses. A bit off putting. Then this line: "NASA—not the Biden administration, which all of my reporting indicates was not involved in any decision-making—decided the best and safest option"... NASA is part of the executive branch. So yes, it was the Biden administration. I don't necessarily agree with Musk that the delay was politically motivated, b…

Sir, with all due respect - don't you think there could be different meanings for the term "administration"?

Absolutely, but in the context used here the author is trying to absolve Biden of responsibility. Could/should Biden have done something to bring them back sooner? I don't know, but it is a government organization under his command.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#336
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Today, being a NASA astronaut is kind of a dud job. There are about 50 active astronauts at the moment, and not very many flights for them. Peak was around 150, in the Shuttle era. With 135 Shuttle flights, with up to eight people aboard, most of them got a chance to go up, usually more than once. Not today. Another astronaut comments on what the Crew-9 people can expect: "The returning astronauts will "struggle to w…

Flights to Mars in about 5 years though! I can't imagine how amazing it would be to be one of the first geologists getting out on foot and exploring those canyons, mountains, lava tubes and caves...

Not without spin gravity. Imagine 5 years of weightlessness then having to get out on foot.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the time. Nothing political about the Punch mission, or the current solar maximum spewing out a bunch of flares last year. Actually it's a bit of a shame the Punch mission wasn't launched sooner, so we could see amazing flares in 3D. But that's just me, I like sun stuff. The point is, if you seek political stuff you'll find it, even a political spin on a recent flare that is being yet again compared to the Carrin…

Not political? Read back on the American hysteria and subsequent response to the launch of Sputnik 1. - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1

Sounds like a change of the topic :( .

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#338

They should make a movie about this, it was all fun we were going to space for 8 days and stayed for 9 MONTHS STRANDED NO WAY BACK HOME. i felt so bad for them honestly. Glad they’re safe and home now.

THIS IS NOT TRUE

See, we can all put stuff in capitals. Doesn't make it true.

Even if you defined "stranded" as being "unable to use the Starliner", then they weren't stranded in September. They could have decided to get in the ship and go home. Not like there's some political officers on board ready to stop them.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And loved every minute of being up there. They were promised 8 days in space and got 8 months doing awesome science on the ISS. They’re astronauts; they live for this stuff.

Did someone ask them to really know they liked the unplanned stay or are we all just making things up?

Repeatedly, in like every interview they've given.

Re: Crew-9 Returns to Earth

#340

They should make a movie about this, it was all fun we were going to space for 8 days and stayed for 9 MONTHS STRANDED NO WAY BACK HOME. i felt so bad for them honestly. Glad they’re safe and home now.

There is this one movie but it's set on Mars instead (The Martian). And I think the series For all Mankind also had an episode with this kind of plot.

Most of season 2 was about being stranded on the moon (because of technology failures caused by costcutting)
Post reply on HN