Safety panel says NASA should have taken Starliner incident more seriously

For nearly two months last year, the true extent of the issues plaguing Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was docked at the International Space Station (ISS), remained largely unknown to the public. A recent report from a safety advisory panel highlighted that this uncertainty also permeated NASA's workforce. In June 2024, Boeing’s Starliner successfully transported NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS, marking the first crewed flight of the Starliner after over a decade filled with challenges and delays. Initially expected to stay at the ISS for one or two weeks, the astronauts found themselves in orbit for nine months as NASA officials deemed it too dangerous to return them to Earth aboard the Boeing-built capsule. Wilmore and Williams eventually returned to Earth in March on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Starliner capsule faced significant hurdles during its 27-hour journey to the ISS, including issues with maneuvering thrusters and troubling helium leaks. At one point, Commander Wilmore lost control of the spacecraft as it approached the docking procedure, raising alarms among engineers. Charlie Precourt, a former space shuttle commander and current member of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), expressed concerns about the potential consequences of losing control. He noted that without regaining some degree of maneuverability, both docking and re-entry could have resulted in catastrophic outcomes for the vehicle and crew. In response to these complications, NASA prudently utilized the ISS as a safe haven, allowing for thorough testing and engineering analysis on the ground to explore recovery options. Despite NASA and Boeing's assurances throughout that summer that the spacecraft was safe for an emergency evacuation, extensive testing was mandated to identify the underlying issues. Behind the scenes, there was a significant likelihood that NASA management would choose against placing astronauts aboard Boeing’s crew capsule for their eventual departure from the ISS—a decision that ultimately aligned with their cautious approach to the situation.