"Elon Musk
@elonmusk
Livestream of the first @BoeingSpace Starliner to @Space_Station. Wishing them best of luck!" https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1798338630471364871

"NASA
@NASA LIVE: We're launching a new ride to the @Space_Station ! @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to lift off on @BoeingSpace's #Starliner Crew Flight Test, riding aboard a @ULALaunch Atlas V rocket, at 10:52am ET (1452 UTC)."
https://x.com/NASA/status/1798306018935390476

Starliner finally launched. Successfull. Docking tomorrow.

Now see if test number 4 of Starship will be as successful tomorrow!

They're not really comparable beyond both being rockets, just as a Cessna Skylane and a Boeing 757 are both planes. However those 2 actually have more in common than Starliner and Starship..

Of course. StarLiner is just a little Boeing capsule on top of a ULA rocket. But still, first test with humans onboard to give NASA a second option to getting people to LEO and beyond. Always fun to follow! Well, ANY rocket system is fun to follow!!!! Regardless.... Even our model rockets from Estes to High Power is fun to watch and launch.

Agreed!, rclark! and enthused to read you have that background as well!

I started with far less OEM and sophisticated "rockets" than Estes. I started with 1.25 inch aluminum monstrosities filled with gunpowder. After a very loud explosion we "advanced" to CO2 cartridges filled with matchheads in aluminum cigar tubes. Thankfully by then we got hold of a few model rocketry books and began building serious rockets powered by Caramel Candy (KNO3 + Sugar) and later Zinc Dust and Sulfur and finally Magnesium Dust and Sulfur in castings. The later ones included cameras and parachutes.

I'm extremely excited about Starship Flight #4 tomorrow.

I have to get up early to see it as window opens at 06:00 hours MPT here...

Yeah as a kid we launched Estes rockets a lot. Built quite a few, still have unbuilt kits sitting around my house... Then when my kids got old enough, they flew rockets. The middle school had a rocket club. One of my kids was in it and the group qualified for TARC (Team America Rocketry Challenge now known as the American Rocketry Challenge) back in Virginiain 2006. Neat contest that gets kids thinking. Cool beans. They placed in the middle of the pack, but was really fun. Problem was they qualified at ~5200 feet, and the contest was almost at sea-level... Makes a difference! Got to meet Buzz Aldrin and kids got his autograph. Then we also went to the air and space museum there in DC and saw some 'real' rockets and motors . Unlike you, we played it safe with solid propellant motors . Looking around my home office I see 1, 2, 3, ..., 8 rockets or so, one being a Patriot High Power I qualified HP level 1 with back in 2007. Don't get out much to the launch site but still belong to the Big Sky Rocketry Association, as my R/C aircraft flying with the Butte Plane Nutz club takes most of my hobby time now.

Here is the Patriot rocket I built that I qualified with.

Attached Thumbnails

 

I hope the helium leaks don't get serious.

Me: Tell me the latest on Boeing's Starliner helium leaks.
Grok (Ai)

@grok
"As of the latest information available, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has experienced multiple helium leaks. Specifically, three of Starliner's eight helium manifolds show signs of leakage. This includes two new leaks detected after the spacecraft reached orbit, in addition to a leak that was known prior to launch. The affected areas include the "top" manifold 1, the "port" manifold 1, and the "port" manifold 2.

Despite these issues, mission controllers have stated that the leaks are not mission-critical and appear to be within the expected margins. The crew aboard the Starliner has taken measures to close all helium manifold valves in an effort to isolate the leaks. The spacecraft is still on track to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) as planned, with the docking scheduled for 12:15 pm ET on June 6.

The Starliner's issues with helium leaks have been a recurring problem, causing several delays in its launch and mission timeline. However, Boeing and NASA are closely monitoring the situation and have determined that the leaks do not pose an immediate threat to the mission or the safety of the crew."

Massive success! Just WOW! Apparently data from Super Heavy was fed to MechaZilla to see how and IF it responded properly to booster data to open and close the "chopsticks", a virtual landing 35 miles or so apart. Whew! Progress galore!

^^^ Thumbs Up!

I am just gob smacked at 1) how both the cameras AND the datalink via Starlink survived till the end, and 2) I could not believe it accomplished the landing burn! HUGE step forward, massive data collection. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if Launch #6 managed reusable landings.

Yep! Progress! Was cool to watch. Looks like some changes will be made to the fin area though as they had burn through. Luckily the joint(s) still functioned to complete the landing. To bad they can't recover that area to see how bad it actually was.

They may try a tower catch next time.


Elon Musk

@elonmusk
Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!
Congratulations @SpaceX team on an epic achievement!!
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1798732390313218305

K10✨

@Kristennetten
Great progress! ����♥️
How many iterations out until Mecha capture possibly?"


Elon Musk

@elonmusk
·
1h
I think we should try to catch the booster with the mechazilla arms next flight!

Grok (Ai):
"Boeing Starliner Docks with ISS, Overcoming Thruster Hurdles
Last updated
36 minutes ago
On June 6, 2024, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:34 pm ET, following a delay due to issues with some of its Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters. The spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, overcame the thruster problems after hotfire tests and was cleared to dock. The crew entered the ISS at 3:45 pm ET, marking a significant milestone for Boeing and NASA's commercial crew program."