Boeing's Starliner Disaster Was Even Worse Than We Thought...

Summary

Ellie in Space dives into the harrowing tale of Boeing's Starliner mission, revealing shocking details of the spacecraft's critical failures during its flight to the International Space Station (ISS). As narrated by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny, the mission encountered multiple thruster failures, compromising the crew's ability to control the spacecraft. Despite losing four thrusters and the risk of losing more, the astronauts managed to approach the ISS and dock successfully. Their recounting highlights the dangers they faced and the tough decisions they had to make, ultimately seeking help from SpaceX to safely return to Earth.

Highlights

• Starliner lost multiple thrusters, making docking with the ISS highly risky 🚩.
• Astronauts had to manually control the spacecraft amidst technical difficulties 🎮.
• NASA waived flight rules due to the mission's critical nature 🚀.
• The crew faced extremely cold conditions in the Starliner cabin 🥶.
• Thruster resets were crucial in preventing mission failure 🔄.

Key Takeaways

• Boeing's Starliner mission faced severe thruster failures, endangering the astronauts 😱.
• Butch and Sunny had to take manual control due to thruster issues, complicating the mission 🚀.
• The mission violated flight rules due to the failures, but NASA made exceptions 🤔.
• Eric at RS Technica uncovered the intense story behind the Starliner incident 🕵️‍♂️.
• The mission's success depended heavily on resetting the thrusters mid-flight 👨‍🚀.

Overview

Boeing's Starliner mission turned into a suspenseful journey for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny when the spacecraft experienced multiple thruster failures during its approach to the ISS. The failures left the astronauts with limited control and a precarious path forward, as they had to override systems and steer manually to ensure their safety.

Against the odds and contrary to typical protocol, Butch and Sunny pushed ahead with docking to the ISS thanks to last-minute flight rule exceptions by NASA. Their experience was fraught with cold conditions and mounting pressure as they relied on technical resets to regain at least partial control of the Starliner.

Through this nerve-wracking ordeal, Starliner eventually docked successfully, but the astronauts' recounts reveal a mission that was closer to disaster than many realized. Ellie in Space brings to the forefront an untold story of resilience and quick thinking under astronomical pressure.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Interview with Eric Burger The chapter introduces a discussion about an anticipated return of Butch and Sunny, who are expected to share their experiences and thoughts regarding the Starliner's flight. The chapter highlights an extended interview conducted by Eric Burgerer from RS Technica with Butch and Sunny at the Johnson Space Center. Although scheduled for just ten minutes, their conversation extended to thirty minutes, indicating an engaging dialogue. Notably, the relationship between Eric and Butch is emphasized, hinting at their familiarity with one another.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Dangerous Situation with Failed Thrusters The chapter discusses a dangerous situation involving NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore and Sunny during their attempt to dock with the ISS. The Starliner spacecraft, on its way to the space station, experienced a thruster failure. As a result, Butch Wilmore had to take manual control of the Starliner. The situation was more perilous and limited in options than what was known to the public watching from the ground.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Thruster Failures During Launch The chapter discusses the launch and docking incident of the Starliner spacecraft last June, where the spacecraft lost four thrusters during the mission. As a result, astronaut Butch Wilmer had to manually control the spacecraft. The failure of the thrusters meant that Butch lost the ability to maneuver the spacecraft as needed. Despite being very close to the space station, the failed thrusters posed a significant challenge in completing the docking.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Mission Flight Rule Violations In the chapter titled 'Mission Flight Rule Violations,' the discussion revolves around a scenario where the mission's flight rules were violated. Despite the protocol requiring the spacecraft to return to Earth due to thruster failures, the situation was complicated. Approaching the International Space Station (ISS) was considered too risky not only for crew members Butch and Sunny aboard the Starliner but also for the astronauts on the ISS valued at $100 billion. The alternative to return home was also deemed unsafe, resulting in a stressful and complicated predicament.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Discussion on Launch and Thruster Concerns In this chapter, the discussion revolves around the concerns related to the launch and the functionality of the thrusters. There is a highlighted quote from Butch expressing uncertainty about the possibility of returning to Earth under certain conditions, stating, "I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point. I don't know if we can, and as a matter of fact, I'm thinking we probably can't." The chapter explores the political ramifications of this situation, touching on questions regarding whether President Trump and Elon Musk were involved in a potential rescue. Eric takes a deeper dive into these concerns by questioning the stakeholders involved, seeking to extract more detailed information amidst the growing political and public curiosity.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Issues with Thrusters and Manual Control Butch and Sunny described their experience of flying the Starliner, highlighting the exceptional precision and control during the launch, space ride, and orbit insertion burn.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Challenges in Controlling Starliner In this chapter, the crew faced challenges with the temperature while trying to stay in the Starliner spacecraft. Despite the Starliner being designed to accommodate four people, only two were on this test flight, resulting in insufficient body heat to warm the cabin, which fell to about 50°F. The crew, Butch and Sunny, wore their spacesuits along with boots and gloves in an attempt to stay warm, yet the cold persisted.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Risk Evaluation: Docking vs. Returning to Earth The chapter discusses the risk evaluation involved in docking a spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) versus returning to Earth. Butch, although preparing for the docking, is worried about the performance of the vehicle's reaction control system thrusters, which are crucial for a successful docking. There had been issues with these thrusters during an uncrewed flight test of the Starliner in May 2022. Prior to the flight, Butch attended a meeting with senior Boeing executives, including the chief engineer, to discuss his major concerns.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Manual Control and Thruster Problems This chapter addresses concerns about thruster and valve problems on space missions. It discusses the challenge of diagnosing these issues because the hardware is not retrievable, relying only on data and engineering judgment to identify causes like foreign object debris. There is a notable concern expressed about the scenario where losing thrusters might result in a situation in space where the spacecraft becomes uncontrollable.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Situation Worsens with Additional Thruster Failure The chapter discusses a secondary failure of a thruster on a spacecraft named Starliner. It begins with an expression of surprise about the malfunction of the first thruster. Eric explains the technical guidance system for vehicles approaching the space station, including the RB bar, which connects the station to the Earth's center, and the Vbar, which represents the velocity vector of the station. The narrative details how the Starliner encountered thruster problems as it approached the Vbar, halting about 260 meters or 850 feet from the space station. Butch's role in this situation is implied, though not explicitly detailed in the transcript.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Efforts to Regain Thruster Control In the chapter titled 'Efforts to Regain Thruster Control,' the narrative focuses on the challenges faced during a vehicle's maneuvering. As they get closer to the Vbar, they lose their second thruster, which brings the system down to a 'single fault tolerance' for losing six degrees of freedom (DOF) control. Six DOF refers to the vehicle's capability to move in three-dimensional space with movements including forward, backward, upward, downward, left, right, as well as rotations like yaw, pitch, and roll. This critical situation highlights the vulnerability and complexity of maintaining control under such constraints.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Decision to Override and Manual Control Challenges The situation with the Starliner spacecraft has become tense due to the failure of a thruster, which leaves the vehicle only single fault tolerant. This means that another failure could necessitate aborting the docking attempt, creating stress for the crew members, Butch and Sunny. Despite the pressure, Butch recalls his awareness of flight rules, although he was not informed about ongoing discussions among flight directors regarding a possible waiver of those rules.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Confidence Issues with Starliner's Return The chapter discusses the challenges faced by NASA's Starliner spacecraft due to the loss of thrusters during its mission. Despite losing two thrusters just before docking, NASA decided to proceed by overriding flight rules. According to astronauts Butch and Sunny, the situation intensified as they lost a third thruster soon after. Butch assumed manual control as they continued to experience thruster failures, losing thrusters that were all in the same direction, which added to the complexity of the situation.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Successful Uncrewed Return and Future Tests The chapter discusses the challenges encountered with thruster issues during a mission. The loss of two bottom thrusters and one port thruster puts the system in a critical state with no fault tolerance, raising concerns as the mission is already past its intended schedule. The narrative describes the need to carefully manage maneuvering capabilities when key thrusters are non-functional, highlighting the tense situation faced due to reduced control and urgent need for a solution.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Conclusion: Safe Return and NASA's Next Steps This chapter discusses the challenges faced during the manual control of a spacecraft. The control system of the spacecraft has degraded, with sluggish responses and the loss of a crucial fourth thruster. This malfunction leads to a loss of six degrees of freedom in control, impeding forward maneuverability. Despite these issues, control over other axes remains intact, drawing a parallel to the 'fly by wire' system used in F-18 jets.

Boeing's Starliner Disaster Was Even Worse Than We Thought... Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 do you guys remember when I said I can't wait for Butch and Sunny to come back home so we can get more of some of their real thoughts on what happened with Starlininer including how it was to fly Starlininer i want to shout out Eric Burgerer with RS Technica who stayed till the end of the press conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston to talk with Butch and Sunny one-on-one it was supposed to be a 10-minute interview it lasted 30 minutes and apparently Eric and Butch know each other pretty well
• 00:30 - 01:00 and so they were able to really talk candidly about how quite frankly dangerous the situation was for Butch and Sunny when they were trying to dock with the ISS so we already knew that as Starlininer was heading to the space station it lost some of its thrusters we also knew that NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore had to take manual control of Starlininer but their options were much more limited than we probably knew on the ground so if you were watching the
• 01:00 - 01:30 Starlininer launch and docking last June you already know that Starlininer ended up losing four thrusters and that Butch Wilmer had to take manual control of the vehicle but while those thrusters failed Butch lost the ability to move the spacecraft in the direction he wanted to go apparently Butch and Sunny at that point were only a stones throw away of the space station but because they had already had four thrusters failed this
• 01:30 - 02:00 violated the mission's flight rules in a scenario like this they were supposed to turn around and come back to Earth this is because with those thruster failures approaching the ISS was deemed much too risky for Butch and Sunny aboard Starlininer as well as for the astronauts on the $100 billion space station but unfortunately it wasn't safe to come home either and this is why things got so complicated and stressful
• 02:00 - 02:30 and much more dangerous than I think we even knew originally butch is quoted saying "I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point i don't know if we can and matter of fact I'm thinking we probably can't." So I'm really glad that Eric asked them these questions because of course many people were asking about their return and you know did President Trump and Elon Musk actually rescue them and making it quite political but Eric decided to get some more of those juicy details about what
• 02:30 - 03:00 it was actually like to fly Starlininer and so Butch and Sunny both shared that the launch was actually awesome the ride to space and the orbit insertion burn were all perfect the duo shared that the precision the ability to control to the exact point that they wanted was great so apparently Butch and Sunny attempted to sleep for several hours ahead of the allimportant approach and docking with the ISS this happened on the flight's second day one thing that we didn't know
• 03:00 - 03:30 is apparently that night that they tried to sleep in Starlininer it was extremely cold apparently they had traded off some of their clothes to bring up equipment to the space station and Starlininer is designed to fly four people but of course it was just two people for this initial test flight which meant less body heat and it was about 50° Fahrenheit in the cabin so Butch and Sunny got inside of their spacuits put their boots on gloves and everything and apparently it was still cold but as it
• 03:30 - 04:00 was almost time to dock with the space station Butch already had the performance of the vehicle's reaction control system thrusters something he was concerned about to dock with the ISS those thrusters are essential and there had already been some problems with their performance during the uncrrewed flight test of Starlininer in May of 2022 butch is quoted in Eric's article saying quote before the flight we had a meeting with a lot of the senior Boeing executives including the chief engineer naveiv asked me what was my biggest
• 04:00 - 04:30 concern and I said the thrusters in the valves because we'd had failures on the missions you don't get the hardware back so you're just looking at data and engineering judgment to say okay it must have been FOD or foreign object debris or whatever the various issues they had and I said "That's what concerns me the most because in my mind I'm thinking if we lost thrusters we could be in a situation where we're in space and can't control it." That's what I was thinking
• 04:30 - 05:00 and oh my what happened we lost the first thruster eric explains "When vehicles approach the space station they use two imaginary lines to help guide their approach these are the RB bar which is a line connecting the space station to the center of Earth the R stands for radius then there's the Vbar which is the velocity vector of the space station due to thruster issues as Starlininer neared the Vbar about 260 m or 850 ft from the space station Butch
• 05:00 - 05:30 had to take manual control of the vehicle and Butch said as we get closer to the Vbar we lose our second thruster so now we're single fault tolerance for the loss of six DOF control you understand that and six doof control means he's six degrees of freedom or six different movements possible in three-dimensional space forward back up down left right yaw pitch and roll so the condition of being single fault
• 05:30 - 06:00 tolerant means the vehicle could sustain just one more thruster failure before being at risk of losing full control of Starlininer's movement and if that happened that would necessitate a mandatory abort of the docking attempt which is why the situation got so stressful for Butch and Sunny butch said "Were single fault tolerant and I'm thinking wow we're supposed to leave the space station." Because I know the flight rules i did not know that the flight directors were already in discussions about waving the flight rule
• 06:00 - 06:30 because we've lost two thrusters we didn't know why they just dropped in the final minutes before docking NASA waved the flight rules about loss of thrusters and according to Butch and Sunny the drama was only beginning at this point butch said quote "We acquired the Vbar and I took over manual control and then we lose the third thruster now again they're all in the same direction and I'm picturing these thrusters that we're losing we lost two bottom thrusters you can lose four thrusters if they're top
• 06:30 - 07:00 and bottom but you still got two on this side you can still maneuver but if you lose thrusters in off orthogonal the bottom and the port and you've got only starboard and top you can't control that it's offaxis so I'm parsing all this out in my mind because I understand the system and we lose two of the bottom thrusters we lost a port thruster and now we're zero fault tolerant we're already past the point where we were supposed to leave and now we're zero
• 07:00 - 07:30 fault tolerant and I'm manual control and oh my the control is sluggish compared to the first day it is not the same spacecraft am I able to maintain control i am but it's not the same and Butch goes on to say and this is the part that I'm sure you haven't heard we lost the fourth thruster now we've lost six degrees of freedom control we can't maneuver forward i still have control supposedly on all other axes but I'm thinking the F-18 is a fly by wire you
• 07:30 - 08:00 put control into the stick and the throttle and it sends the signal to the computer the computer goes "Okay he wants to do that let's throw that out aon let's throw that stabilizer a bit let's pull the rudder there." And it's going to maintain balanced flight i have not even had a reason to think how does Starlininer do this to maintain a balance basically at this point Butch could not fully control Starlininer any longer but they were basically out of
• 08:00 - 08:30 options as well simply abandoning the docking attempt was not a solution and as Eric explains just as the thrusters were needed to control the vehicle during the docking process they were also necessary to position Starlininer for its deorbit burn and re-entry to Earth's atmosphere so Butch had to contemplate whether it was riskier to approach the space station or try to fly back to Earth butch was worrying about the same thing at this point Butch knew
• 08:30 - 09:00 that they were in a very precarious situation he said "I think both of us overwhelmingly felt like it would be really nice to dock to that space station that's right in front of us." But he also said "I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point i don't know if we can as a matter of fact I'm thinking we probably can't." So there we are loss of six degrees of freedom control four aft thrusters down and I'm visualizing orbital mechanics the space station is nose down so we're
• 09:00 - 09:30 not exactly level with the station but below it if you're below the station you're moving faster that's orbital mechanics it's going to make you move away from the station so I'm doing all of this in my mind i don't know what control I have what if I lose another thruster what if we lose calm what am I going to do butch goes on to say Starlininer is based on a vision system that looks at the space station and uses the space station as a frame of reference so if we had started to fall off and lose that which there's a plus
• 09:30 - 10:00 or minus that we can have we didn't lose the station ever but we did start to deviate a little bit i think both of us were getting nervous then because the system would have automatically aborted us so another juicy detail that we didn't know about after Starlininer lost four of its 28 reaction control system thrusters the team in Houston decided the best chance for success was to reset the failed thrusters that basically means turning off your computer and rebooting it to try to fix the problem
• 10:00 - 10:30 but that also meant that Butch had to go hands off from Starlininer's controls which probably would be really unsettling they were already drifting away from the space station trying to maintain their position and the station was the only real lifeline at the time because if they lost the ability to dock the chance of coming back in one piece would be pretty low and then Butch had to take his hands off of the controls he's quoted saying that was not easy to do so apparently once Butch thought that
• 10:30 - 11:00 Starlininer was temporarily stable enough he called down to mission control hands off almost immediately flight controllers sent a signal to override Starlininer's flight computer and fire the thrusters that had been turned off two of the four thrusters came back online butch said "Now we're back to single fault tolerant but then we lose a fifth jet." He said "What if we'd lost that fifth jet while those other four were still down i have no idea what would have happened i attribute to the
• 11:00 - 11:30 providence of the Lord getting those two jets back before that fifth one failed so we're down to zero fault tolerant again i can still maintain control again sluggish not only was the control different on the visual what inputs and what it looked like but we could hear it the valve opening and closing when a thruster would fire it was like a machine gun and Butch and Sunny also said in their interview that they felt pretty confident in the aftermath of docking to the space station that they probably wouldn't be riding home in
• 11:30 - 12:00 Starlininer in fact they didn't really want to ride home in Starlininer while publicly NASA and Boeing expressed confidence in Starlininer's safe return with crew Butch and Sunny who had just had that crazy terrifying ride said quote "I was very skeptical just because of what we'd experienced i just didn't see that we could make it i was hopeful that we could but it would have been really tough to get there to where we could say "Yeah we can come back." And so as you know Starlininer came home
• 12:00 - 12:30 uncrrewed in September and Butch and Sunny just finally came back to Earth last month and so thanks to Eric for writing such an informative article you can see on X it already has over 20 million impressions and that's because Elon shared it and um so a lot of people are hearing more of the true story behind the scenes of everything that went down with Starlininer and um yeah we didn't know how desperate Starliner's flight to the space station got last
• 12:30 - 13:00 summer so I'm so glad that Butch and Sunny are home safe and that they made it up there safely because it sounds like it was a lot worse than I actually thought it originally was and by the way people are wondering what is going to happen with Starlininer apparently NASA's Steve Stitch has said that they are looking to do another uncrrewed test flight maybe in the fall but new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman should be able to weigh in on some of these
• 13:00 - 13:30 decisions because we just learned finally that the US Senate's nomination hearing for Jared Isaacman to be confirmed as the 15th NASA administrator is set for next Wednesday April 9th so there's some more breaking news for you but hopefully you enjoyed this video i'm going to try to post as much content as I can but as I mentioned I'll be out of the country for a few weeks so thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video so you may have noticed
• 13:30 - 14:00 that my background here is a little different i'm in Taipei Taiwan and I'll be out of the country for a few weeks but I just wanted to make this video because we have been waiting to hear more of you know the untold story of what happened with Starlininer and so it's really great that Butch and Sunny were able to not only come home safely via SpaceX but actually successfully dock to the ISS because it sounds like it was much more complicated than we knew
• 14:00 - 14:30 [Music]