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Hey, House Placers!
Straight from NASA:
June 16, 2022
RELEASE 22-061
NASA Updates Astronaut Assignments for Boeing Starliner Check Flight
 NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, Barry “Butch” Wilmore, middle, and Mike Fincke, proper, watch as a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at House Launch Advanced 41 forward of the Orbital Flight Check-2 (OFT-2) mission, Wednesday, Might 18, 2022, at Cape Canaveral House Power Station in Florida.
Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky |
NASA will fly two astronaut take a look at pilots aboard the company’s Boeing Crew Flight Check (CFT) mission to the Worldwide House Station, the place they’ll dwell and work off the Earth for about two weeks.
CFT commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, whom NASA assigned to the prime crew in October 2020, will be part of NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who will function pilot. Williams beforehand served because the backup take a look at pilot for CFT whereas assigned as commander of NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission, Starliner’s first post-certification mission. As CFT pilot, Williams takes the place of NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, initially assigned to the mission in 2018. NASA reassigned Mann to the company’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission in 2021.
Based mostly upon present area station sources and scheduling wants, a brief period mission with two astronaut take a look at pilots is adequate to satisfy all NASA and Boeing take a look at aims for CFT, which embody demonstrating Starliner’s capacity to securely fly operational crewed missions to and from the area station. To guard towards unexpected occasions with crew transportation to the station, NASA could prolong the CFT docked period as much as six months and add a further astronaut later, if wanted.
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, whom the company beforehand assigned because the Joint Operations Commander for CFT, will now prepare because the backup spacecraft take a look at pilot and stays eligible for task to a future mission. Fincke’s distinctive experience will proceed to learn the group as he retains his place as flight take a look at lead, filling an important position in Starliner certification.
“Mike Fincke has devoted the final 9 years of his profession to those first Boeing missions and Suni the final seven. Butch has finished a wonderful job main the group because the spacecraft commander since 2020,” mentioned Reid Wiseman, chief, Astronaut Workplace at NASA’s Johnson House Heart in Houston. “It was nice to see Starliner’s profitable journey to the Worldwide House Station through the Orbital Flight Check-2 (OFT-2) mission final month. We’re all wanting ahead to cheering on Butch and Suni as they fly the primary crewed Starliner mission.”
Wilmore, Williams, and Fincke every have flown beforehand as long-duration crew members aboard the area station.
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps continues to organize for an upcoming lengthy period mission aboard Starliner-1. NASA additionally has recognized backup flight alternatives for Epps on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for added scheduling and useful resource flexibility. Epps has begun cross-training on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to organize for this risk.
In the meantime, NASA and Boeing are persevering with to conduct OFT-2 information evaluations whereas assessing future CFT launch alternatives. Following profitable completion of the uncrewed OFT-2 mission, the Starliner crew module has returned to Boeing’s Industrial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy House Heart in Florida, the place it would endure system checkouts and automobile inspections. The Starliner group is within the means of delivering the preliminary take a look at flight information to NASA and collectively figuring out ahead work forward of a crewed flight. These engineering and program evaluations are anticipated to proceed for a number of weeks, culminating in a launch schedule evaluation on the finish of July, primarily based upon spacecraft readiness, area station scheduling wants, and Jap Vary availability.
“Starliner and the Atlas V carried out nicely throughout all phases of OFT-2, and now we’re taking a methodical have a look at every system to find out what must be upgraded or improved forward of CFT, simply as we do with each different crewed flight,” mentioned Steve Stich, supervisor, NASA’s Industrial Crew Program. “Moreover, Butch, Suni, and Mike have been instrumental within the improvement of Starliner on the trail to having a second area station crew transportation system.”
For the crewed flight take a look at, Boeing’s Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from House Launch Advanced-41 at Cape Canaveral House Power Station in Florida.
Following a profitable CFT mission, NASA will start the ultimate means of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and techniques for crew missions to the area station. Common, long-duration business crew rotation missions allow NASA to proceed the vital analysis and expertise investigations going down aboard the orbiting laboratory. Such analysis advantages folks on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars, beginning with the company’s Artemis missions, which embody touchdown the primary girl and first particular person of shade on the lunar floor.
Discover out extra about NASA’s Industrial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/
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