In article <ldr19qF74vgU1@mid.individual.net>,
Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:

Interesting to note the way margins of a real-life space venture are run:

Two astronauts have been stuck at the ISS for an extra two weeks,
so far, because their ride has flat tires, and it's not a crisis,
and nobody has had to volunteer to step out the airlock.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

Things are looking worse:

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-likely-to-significantly-delay-the-launch-of-crew-9-due-to-starliner-issues/

Software struggles

NASA has quietly been studying the possibility of crew
returning in a Dragon for more than a month. As NASA and
Boeing engineers have yet to identify a root cause of the
thruster failure, the possibility of Wilmore and Williams
returning on a Dragon spacecraft has increased in the last
10 days. NASA has consistently said that 'crew safety' will
be its No. 1 priority in deciding how to proceed.

The Crew 9 delay is relevant to the Starliner dilemma for
a couple of reasons. One, it gives NASA more time to determine
the flight-worthiness of Starliner. However, there is also
another surprising reason for the delay--the need to update
Starliner's flight software. Three separate, well-placed
sources have confirmed to Ars that the current flight
software on board Starliner cannot perform an automated
undocking from the space station and entry into Earth's
atmosphere.

At first blush, this seems absurd. After all, Boeing's
Orbital Flight Test 2 mission in May 2022 was a fully
automated test of the Starliner vehicle. During this mission,
the spacecraft flew up to the space station without crew
on board and then returned to Earth six days later. Although
the 2022 flight test was completed by a different Starliner
vehicle, it clearly demonstrated the ability of the program's
flight software to autonomously dock and return to Earth.
Boeing did not respond to a media query about why this
capability was removed for the crew flight test.

"At first blush, this seems absurd."

Well, yes. Second blush as well.

On Wed, 26 Jun 2024 14:13:33 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

I object to calling people in their 50s old.

Luckily, the SpaceX Dragon can hold up to six people.

I am 63 for a couple of more days, I am OLD.

I must be positively decrepit being 5 years older than you...

Anytime any engineering business names an accountant as the CEO, write
it off.  Boeing did so several years ago.  The accountants will drive
the costs to zero no matter what happens to the employees.

Anytime any engineering business names an accountant as the CEO, write
it off. Boeing did so several years ago. The accountants will drive
the costs to zero no matter what happens to the employees.