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Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#41

Post by meatmanek »

throwup238 wrote: post #33
bravetraveler wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stuff like this is so politically loaded it's hard to say. Defending from at least 12 different angles! Were it me, I'd be conflicted for the obvious reasons. Yay, more time in space. Can do the rare part. Oh no, more time in space - danger. I'm not an astronaut though - they've been selected for certain behavior

> Oh no, more time in space - danger. Has anyone ever died in space (as in above the von Karman line)? The danger is on launch and reentry, which is the risk this delay is trying to mitigate. Even the worst space accident (Apollo 13) ended up returning safely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_11

The mission ended in disaster when the crew capsule depressurised during preparations for re-entry, killing the three-person crew.[9] The three crew members of Soyuz 11 are the only humans to have died in space.[b][10]

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#43

Post by pigeons »

throwup238 wrote: post #33
bravetraveler wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stuff like this is so politically loaded it's hard to say. Defending from at least 12 different angles! Were it me, I'd be conflicted for the obvious reasons. Yay, more time in space. Can do the rare part. Oh no, more time in space - danger. I'm not an astronaut though - they've been selected for certain behavior

> Oh no, more time in space - danger. Has anyone ever died in space (as in above the von Karman line)? The danger is on launch and reentry, which is the risk this delay is trying to mitigate. Even the worst space accident (Apollo 13) ended up returning safely.

There is also the danger of having a shorter lifespan because of the damage and stress on the body that the extended time in space brings.

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#44

Post by TMWNN »

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #8

I'm wondering whether the astronauts in this situation are excited about getting an extended stay in space without the usual competition for launch opportunities, or are unhappy about it (due to the long separation from family, health effects, the lack of comfort that comes with living on the frontier of what humanity can currently reach, etc.). This quote: > “They understand the importance now of moving on and... ge…

The others blithely assuring you that Wilmore and Williams are happy to have more time in space are wrong.

Yes, flying in space is cool. No, most people don't want to do this indefinitely. Astronauts retire all the time even when they are 100% guaranteed more flight time if they didn't retire; a whole bunch did that in the 1960s and 1970s (some, like Frank Borman, 100% guaranteed to walk on the moon), and more during the shuttle era.

It's one thing to have a mission extended by a day, as happened to the shuttle routinely because of bad weather at the landing site. Skylab 4's mission I believe got extended by 28 days, but that was a known possibility before launch. To have an eight-day mission be extended to *eight months* is in no way shape or form OK.

Wilmore is going to miss his 30th wedding anniversary and other family events. https://www.wvlt.tv/2024/08/09/family-reacts-tennessee-astro...> To those who think otherwise, do you really think he is thrilled by that? Really?

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#45

Post by TMWNN »

rkagerer wrote: post #35
tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #8

I'm wondering whether the astronauts in this situation are excited about getting an extended stay in space without the usual competition for launch opportunities, or are unhappy about it (due to the long separation from family, health effects, the lack of comfort that comes with living on the frontier of what humanity can currently reach, etc.). This quote: > “They understand the importance now of moving on and... ge…

Their assignment was to complete a test flight. They're probably disappointed they won't get to finish the job. As astronauts I can't imagine they're too upset over the prospect of more time in space. I'm sure the timing inconveniences medium-term plans they had, and is a pain in the a* from that perspective, but in their line of work you know how to expect the unexpected and roll with new circumstances. I'm sure the…

> Their assignment was to complete a test flight. They're probably disappointed they won't get to finish the job.

The Starliner crew had to go manual while approaching ISS because the autonomous docking software couldn't handle the five failed thrusters.

Watch the crew entering ISS. Williams is very, very, very happy to have survived the ascent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsURePrNTx0>

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#46

Post by ahazred8ta »

fy20 wrote: post #28
downrightmike wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Boeing is never going to either

Maybe in a few hundred years a space company will buy the Boeing name and relaunch it, like what car companies are doing, for nostalgia purposes.

The East India Company came back in 2010

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjiv_Mehta_(British_busine...

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#48

Post by hinkley »

idontwantthis wrote: post #25
ed_mercer wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In an emergency, can they really prep and launch a rocket quickly? Are we talking hours/days/week/months?

There is no emergency that would require launching a rocket. They have craft docked to the space station at all times that they can return to Earth on at a moment’s notice.

And they are not using one of those because…

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#49

Post by loa_in_ »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #27
thegrim33 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody is stranded. At no time does NASA not have a plan to evacuate the space station if there's an emergency. There's currently 7 people aboard and 5 space craft docked, all of which can carry multiple people, all of which can be used to get people off the station.

You’re describing a plan for how to deal with stranded astronauts. If I’m on a road trip and my car breaks down at a gas station, I’m stranded. Even if there are other people and other cars at the gas station, and even if I still have access to emergency services, and even if I have a plan for how to deal with being stranded at a gas station.

Not if you all know you all share the same destination

Re: Stranded astronauts' capsule heads home without them

#50

Post by rich_sasha »

I'd love to see the full calculus of risk and reward. Space travel is inherently dangerous, so NASA has to be really concerned.

Equally, until Dragon arrives, they have to means of escape, if there's either issues with the station or with their health.

NASA mist have concluded that the latter is a smaller risk than the Starliner, which I guess says something about how high they though the danger is.

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