Boeing's Starliner FUBAR?

[Stephanie Belser]

NASA and Boeing found other critical issues with the Starliner's software following its failure to go into the right orbit.

(In the past, Boeing's been rather snarky towards SpaceX, saying that Boeing's got experience in manned flight, mainly because Boeing's joint venture with Lockheed-Martin, claiming some sort of corporate knowledge from flying man-rated Atlas boosters nearly sixty years ago.)

Boeing is betting that NASA's going to make them fly the unmanned orbit test a second time.

[Bill Bridges]

Boeing does seem to be struggling with it's software lately.

[Stephanie Belser]

Boeing does seem to be struggling with it's software lately.

I don;t know if they began going to hell when they moved their HQ to a place where they had no manufacturing plants. But I've heard enough to suggest that Step One would be to retire, fire, or shoot everyone in upper-level of management that came from McD-D.

[Ralph Jones]

retire, fire, or shoot everyone in upper-level of management that came from McD-D.

Having worked there briefly on the doomed MOL program, I'll go along with that.

[Tom Charlton]

the doomed MOL program

Hi Ralph,
Hmm, speaking of MOL:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Orbiting_Laboratory

and thinking of our new Space Force: Wondering how long before “The Force” employs a manned spaceflight capability. Thinking along the lines of a Hermes, Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar or Boeing X-37 sort of vehicle for hands-on access to . . . ah . . . stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_(spacecraft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-20_Dyna-Soar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37

Regards,
Tom Charlton

[Ralph Jones]

Hmm, speaking of MOL

What a cluster**** that was. This being 1969, most of the software was to run on the ground, uploading results during pretty short station passes, and it was to be written in JOVIAL. I was supposed to write the spec for a routine that would control what went on in the cylindrical section. Every time I tried to get specs for interfaces between subsystems, I was told "That's not decided yet, make it adaptable."

I had a physicist in the Santa Monica plant to help with it, and I learned of the cancellation in a phone call from him; he'd heard it on the radio driving in. The announcement to us came hours later.