This star is going to the moon

Chapter 220 Boeing intended to show its face, but ended up revealing...

Space enthusiasts from around the world.

The group members chatted while watching the live stream of the "Starliner" unmanned maiden flight.

[I did the math, and America actually has five manned spacecraft under development: the Crew Dragon spacecraft, the Dream Chaser small space shuttle, the Orion spacecraft, the recently restarted X-33 single-stage-to-orbit space shuttle, and the current Starliner spacecraft. (Taegukgi)]

[The world is about to usher in a new era of manned spaceflight, with countries developing their own new manned spaceflight equipment. It's a vibrant and dynamic scene! (Red Flag)]

[Furthermore, the new spacecraft are designed to be reusable at least 10 times, which is excellent. This is the future, and very environmentally friendly. (Black, red, and yellow tricolor flag)]

[China is also quite capable, with three options: the Shenzhou manned spacecraft, which is currently in stable service; the Muyuan spacecraft, which is under development; and a new generation manned spacecraft comparable to Orion. All of these are highly protected deep-space manned spacecraft capable of lunar missions. (Stars and Stripes)]

Our country also has two manned spacecraft. One is the very mature and reliable Soyuz spacecraft, which even the United States has asked us for help in transporting astronauts. The other is the Federation spacecraft, which is under development and is comparable to the Orion and the next-generation manned spacecraft. Only three countries are researching lunar spacecraft, which demonstrates the strength of the three permanent members of the UN Security Council. (White, blue, and red tricolor flag)

[We, Bharat, will soon be able to carry out manned space missions. Our "Gaganyan" manned spacecraft will be launched soon. It is very advanced and very inexpensive. Only four countries in the world have achieved this. Therefore, we suggest that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council remove the EU and let us take its place. (Curry-flavored orange, white, and green tricolor flag)]

【? ? ? (Union Jack)】

[Dude, this is a space-themed discussion, please refrain from discussing unrelated topics. I suggest the group admin kick him out. (Union Jack)]

[Eating melon seeds (Red Flag)]

Let's have a poll: Do you think the Starliner's unmanned maiden flight will be a success or a failure? (Stars and Stripes)

I won the bid; after all, this is a project from Boeing, a long-established aerospace giant. (Union Jack)

[I also successfully voted. Although Boeing is a bit abstract now, its fundamentals are still there, and it should have no problem launching manned spacecraft to low Earth orbit. (Red Flag)]

[My submission failed not because the maiden flight will explode, but because there will definitely be some minor problems, making it impossible to complete the maiden flight test mission 100%... (Red Flag)]

The core technology team of the "Wooden Kite" rocket, which was watching the live broadcast from Blue Star Aerospace, was also voting, and many of them supported the successful maiden flight.

After all, Boeing is indeed an aerospace giant.

Although the maiden flight of the Starliner, like the SLS rocket, has been delayed, it is not a big deal to technicians from the traditional aerospace system.

It's a bit slow, but that just shows Boeing's responsibility!

If there are any problems with the equipment, we will resolve them on the ground; we won't take them into the air with problems!

After all, anything that happens in the sky is a big deal!

If the problems with the original space shuttles had been detected on the ground, they wouldn't have exploded in space, and the second generation of space shuttles would probably be out by now.

Instead of the Space Shuttle's dismal retirement, America lost its manned spaceflight capability and could only buy expensive tickets from Russia.

At the same time, there will be no commercial manned projects, and there will be no competition for orders between "Cran Dragon" and "Starliner".

Because of previous accidents, the Starliner now strictly resolves problems on the ground, which is the normal procedure.

This shows that the mistakes they made before weren't in vain; they've truly learned their lesson.

Just like the rules in the aerospace system, they were all bought with lives.

However, some people think that the "Starliner" might have some minor problems.

After all, on the other hand, the fact that "Boeing Manufacturing" has had a series of minor problems in recent years shows that the brand has begun to be eroded.

Although it's not completely rotten yet, this problem is irreversible once it appears.

It's only a matter of time before it rots.

"What does Mr. Lu think?"

Suddenly someone asked Lu Yun.

They had been under Lu Yun's tutelage for a long time and had made many bets with him, so they knew that Lu Yun's views on some issues were very accurate.

However, this question stumped Lu Yun.

As he stirred up trouble in the aerospace field, the situation became increasingly different from his previous life. Not only were the timelines changing, but the technical issues were also evolving. This launch of the "Starliner" was different from his previous life, where it was postponed directly from November to late December, unlike the early December launch in this life.

Of course, given Boeing's current track record, it's not surprising that problems were discovered during this launch, leading to further delays.

Or perhaps some minor issues were discovered, but the launch was initiated anyway, and then, like in the previous instance, problems arose in space, leading to an unsuccessful maiden flight test.

As for whether it will explode, Lu Yun felt that Boeing... probably wouldn't be that outrageous, right?

However, it's really hard to say.

During the live broadcast, Boeing executive Smith was still boasting.

"...The passenger for this first unmanned flight was a dummy named 'Rosie,' which was equipped with a large number of sensors to measure various key data, including data on the gravity it experienced during flight."

"If the data meets the standards, the 'Starliner' can carry people on its next flight, unlike some spacecraft that discovered safety issues during their unmanned maiden flight and needed to conduct an additional unmanned test flight..."

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

Boeing is truly something else; even at a time like this, they still have to subtly criticize their rivals.

It's not surprising, really. NASA launched its commercial crew program in 2010, and at that time, Boeing was the only company with experience in developing manned spacecraft.

However, NASA did not award the contract directly to Boeing, but instead initiated a selection process.

Finally, in 2014, NASA signed contracts worth $42 billion with Boeing and $26 billion with SpaceFork.

The spacecraft is required to conduct at least one unmanned flight test and one manned flight test, and after passing system certification, to carry out six crew rotation flights to the International Space Station, each carrying four people.

The contract amount clearly shows that Boeing was entrusted with high hopes, while SpaceX was more like a "runner-up" and a "backup".

But it also reflects NASA's belief that it shouldn't put all its eggs in one basket.

Of course, we cannot allow one company to form a monopoly, otherwise the cost of manned spaceflight would skyrocket.

Amy, who now needs to rely on Russia's manned spacecraft to send astronauts to the International Space Station, has a deep understanding of this.

However, after several years of development, the "backup" SpaceX has succeeded, first developing the "Cargo Dragon" spacecraft, and then the "Manned Dragon" spacecraft ahead of time.

Although the Crew Dragon spacecraft did not receive permission to carry passengers on its second flight after its initial test flight and still needs an escape test, it is enough to put pressure on Boeing.

So Boeing is determined to get back everything it has lost!

"3, 2, 1, ignition!"

At Smith's command, Lockheed Martin's Atlas V rocket propelled Boeing's Starliner spacecraft into the air.

The rocket launch was perfect, and the spacecraft data was all normal. Smith confidently crossed his arms and watched the live feed on the big screen.

But soon, an employee rushed over and said, "Mr. Smith, there is a helium leak in the spaceship."

Smith frowned: "How significant is the impact of the leak on the spacecraft?"

"There are no problems for now. The leakage is very slow and it will reach the space station smoothly."

Smith's brow relaxed upon hearing this: "Then there's no problem. The spaceship has many redundant systems; this minor issue won't delay the test flight. The mission can continue..."

Before he could finish speaking, another employee ran up and said, "Sir, there's a big problem!"

Smith: "?"

"We discovered that the spacecraft's timer has malfunctioned and is not synchronized with the command center. The spacecraft has now unplannedly consumed too much fuel and is no longer able to raise its orbit and dock with the International Space Station!"

"WTF?!"

Smith was astonished.

How could such a basic mistake be made?
(End of this chapter)