Mad about Science: Boeing Starliner: Part II

By Brenden Bobby
Reader Columnist

We’ve returned to explore what happened to the Boeing Starliner and why it stranded two astronauts on the International Space Station. Last week, we learned about Starliner’s Test Flight 1, and how because the craft’s internal clock was set to 11 hours ahead, it burned most of its fuel to correct the error. Meanwhile, a software bug had readied the crew and service modules to fire thrusters in reverse — setting them on a course to slam them together rather than break them apart.

Test Flight 2 was also plagued with myriad issues preceding launch. Though it had been slated to lift off in March 2021, a number of delays arose as the deadline approached, pushing the eventual launch window to August or September of that year.

The Boeing Starliner docked to the International Space Station on July 3, 2024. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Once the craft’s launch vehicle, the Atlas V, had been rolled out at the end of July 2021, another craft already docked with the ISS had a misfire of its thrusters that forced the space station to perform corrective firings to maintain a stable orbit. This meant it would be impossible for Starliner to dock at the ISS on the established timeframe.

Quirky examples are a Mad About Science staple, and you’re about to get one. Imagine that your friend hopped on board a train passing by Travers Park. That friend is going to throw a red ball at a high arc. You need to throw your green ball at precisely the right arc to stick to your friend’s red ball in mid air so they connect at precisely the right moment. You rear back with your throw, when suddenly a bird smacks the red ball and deviates the arc ever so slightly. You have mere milliseconds to recalculate your throw. Good luck.

This is essentially what happened, except the red ball (the ISS) would eventually swing all the way around the Earth again to line up for another pass, so long as the crew was able to correct the deviation in its orbit. Rather than scramble and risk the lives of everyone onboard, it was easier to just delay Test Flight 2 until proper conditions were met.

Orbital mechanics are hard.

Valve and thruster failures further delayed Starliner’s second test flight until May 2022. You may be left wondering: “Is it common for this many part failures to happen on a vehicle with an 11-digit price tag?”

The short answer is… Sort of? These are very complex mechanical devices with networks of parts requiring a lot of complicated interactions between them. Failures are not uncommon, which is why engineers are so thorough with layers of checklists to cross-reference every conceivable part ahead of a launch.

However, this also feeds directly into a major issue that has become shockingly apparent since 2023.

In July 1997, Boeing merged with aviation company McDonnell Douglas. Up to this point, Boeing had a sparkling reputation as a company led by engineers, whose input was vital at every level for the company’s success. They built good air- and spacecraft because what they were doing was important, because lives were on the line and because engineers know how to engineer things. McDonnell Douglas took a different approach with a more business-centered mindset.

That is, the idea was to build something and then see where costs could be cut to increase the end profit. This is fine if you’re producing something like a computer mouse, a pen or cardboard boxes. This becomes extremely problematic when you’re designing aircraft that carry hundreds of human beings.

Technically, Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas, but it appeared that the engineer-focused leadership took a backseat to cost-cutting and bolstering the bottom line. This was supported by two major disasters in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

In October 2018, Lion Air flight JT 610 crashed into the ocean after takeoff and killed 189 people. It was a virtually brand new aircraft that went into a dive maneuver because of a malfunctioning sensor, which the crew was not able to override.

In October 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed after takeoff and killed 157 people. Another software error that could not be overridden by the flight crew was the cause of the disaster. This triggered a surge of corporate whistleblowers and international governmental investigations into Boeing, which was only made worse in 2022 and 2023, as amateur footage of parts falling off a number of Boeing commercial aircraft surfaced online.

The real cost of the aircraft that had been “saved” was being shown in vivid, terrifying detail for the whole world to see, and it appeared this bled heavily into Starliner’s final design as well.

Starliner’s third flight, and its first crewed flight piloted by NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, launched on June 5, 2024.

En route to docking with the International Space Station, helium leaks from the craft’s propulsion system were detected. This was rectified by closing the helium manifolds, which then shut down 28 of the reaction control systems — the thrusters the craft needs to precisely dock with the ISS. During docking, five more thrusters unexpectedly ceased operation. These problems were tested on an identical spacecraft on Earth, which exposed defects in Teflon ring seals that were deforming and restricting propulsion when exposed to heat. However, upon testing in orbit, this issue did not occur.

The decision was ultimately made to send Starliner back to Earth uncrewed. Though it did land safely back on Earth, it encountered two more new software issues related to navigation that required corrective action during descent.

Embarrassingly for Boeing, the astronauts they left behind will be retrieved by their competitor, SpaceX, in an upcoming mission.

On an unrelated, but also unfortunate, note the Spacepoint Intro to Rocketry that was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 had to be postponed until Nov. 9.

Stay curious, 7B.