Boeing's first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because NASA judged their return too risky.
The empty Boeing Starliner capsule sits at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, late Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, after undocking from the International Space Station. Boeing’s first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because NASA judged their return too risky.
Wilmore and Williams should have flown Starliner back to Earth by mid-June, a week after launching in it. But their ride to the space station was marred by the cascade of thruster trouble and helium loss, and NASA ultimately decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner. There were some snags during reentry, including more thruster issues, but Starliner made a “bull’s-eye landing,” said NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.
"While this may not have been how we originally envisioned the test flight concluding, we support NASA’s decision for Starliner and are proud of how our team and spacecraft performed," the executives wrote. Even before the pair launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Starliner’s propulsion system was leaking helium. The leak was small and thought to be isolated, but four more cropped up after liftoff. Then five thrusters failed. Although four of the thrusters were recovered, it gave NASA pause as to whether more malfunctions might hamper the capsule’s descent from orbit.
Stich said post-landing it’s too early to know when the next Starliner flight with astronauts might occur. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick dies after collapsing outside Winnipeg courthouse A Waterloo, Ont. tech company is in hot water for allegedly providing technology that can be used for mass surveillance and censorship.The Toronto International Film Festival has played host to many comeback stories over the years. Brendan Fraser was cheered here two years ago for his performance in 'The Whale.' This year's unlikely comeback story might be Pamela Anderson.
A black bear cub survived a 10-hour drive to Windsor while being fed Taco Bell after being found in the middle of a road near Cochrane, Ont.A British Columbia woman who unsuccessfully sued her downstairs neighbour last fall for making too much noise has now failed in a bid to sue her upstairs neighbour for being too loud.
Ontario’s plan to shut down six supervised consumption sites in Toronto may significantly impact one local organization’s ability to verify and analyze the city’s unregulated drug supply.Canada-wide warrant issued for woman in fatal Toronto shooting Starting September 30, all Ottawa households will be limited to three items of curbside waste every two weeks. Environmental Education Assistants will be visiting homes across the city in September, October and November to provide information about the new garbage limit and answer any questions.Starting Monday, federal employees will be required to be in the office three days a week, instead of the current two, and that means another day dealing with a commute that some say has gotten worse.
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