Stuck in space: 50 days and still no return date for NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams

[nosaj]

@ClutchLinkey

I don’t remember him mentioning steak

I might be mixing him up with Chris Hadfield on the steak thing.

I’ll definitely check out the audiobook now. Thanks!

Way way way off-topic: Hadfield was the one who had this immortal tweet exchange with William Shatner

[FGD135]

Oh, that’s good! So the fuel should be good for a while. I must have mixed up something there in my mind and didn’t check.
And now I’m worried about the plumbing.

[BakerB]

I bet the novelty of the vacuum toilet wore off quite soon.

[Otherbrother]

Looks like quite the procedure:

https://boingboing.net/2021/08/17/instructions-for-the-zero-gravity-toilet-in-2001.html/amp

[FGD135]

Boeing takes another $125M hit thanks to Starliner

Apart from Boeing’s financial woes:

NASA and Boeing have yet to set a date for the spacecraft’s return. In an update issued on August 1, NASA noted that the planning for the spacecraft’s return was “expected to continue into next week.” This includes finalizing undocking procedures and “operational mitigations that could be used in flight, if needed.”

In its own update, Boeing reported that return-to-Earth preparations were under way, with teams working through simulations and the ISS crew inspecting the exterior of Starliner using the outpost’s Canadarm.

Meanwhile, a NASA spokesperson told Ars the US agency is “evaluating all options.” It’s said those possible options include using a SpaceX capsule to do what Starliner right now can’t – bring back its pair of pilots.
 

[Otherbrother]

Insiders have told Ars Technica that there’s less than a 50% chance that the astronauts will be riding Starliner home.

NASA says it is “evaluating all options” for the safe return of Starliner crew

One informed source said it was greater than a 50-50 chance that the crew would come back on Dragon. Another source said it was significantly more likely than not they would. To be clear, NASA has not made a final decision. This probably will not happen until at least next week. It is likely that Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, will make the call.

And if they don’t ride it back that may well be the end of the program, with Boeing taking the financial hit rather than spend more money and incur more risk to finish the thing.

f NASA defers to its fallback plan, flying on Dragon, it may spell the end of the Starliner program. During the development and testing of Starliner, the company has already lost $1.6 billion. Reflying a crew test flight mission, which likely would be necessary should Starliner return autonomously, would cost much more. Boeing might opt to cancel Starliner and leave NASA with just a single provider of crew transportation.

[ClutchLinkey]

“I liked it at first. Now it just sucks.”

[hecep]

The Boeing Starliner – sans astronauts, of course – has returned (reportedly safely) back to Earth. (I really, really wonder what Musk and his fan-bois hoped for re the return.)

Boeing's uncrewed Starliner spacecraft returns to Earth with successful landing in New Mexico

[newbrain]

As is often the case, XKCD has one of the better takes:

Stranded

[FSogol]

Today on a dark gritty reboot of MST3K.