NASA warns SpaceX and Boeing about flaws in spacecraft


    Crew Dragon spacecraft (Source: TASS)

    Recently, NASA issued a warning to both SpaceX and Boeing about flaws in the spacecraft of these companies. Problems are found both in the general design and in the safety systems of astronauts.

    The agency has every right to issue warnings to its partners, as both companies work with NASA on a contract basis. SpaceX previously received $ 2.6 billion, and Boeing $ 4.2 billion. Both companies pledged to develop a rocket and capsule so that the United States would again be able to launch astronauts on the ISS on its own. The last time this was done in 2011.

    Each year, the agency inspects the implementation of programs by partners, this and the past.year is no exception. During the inspection, the agency identified problems with the Boeing capsule - it is exposed to external factors above normal after the thermal protection is activated.

    For SpaceX, the problem lies in the vulnerability of the rocket tanks (NASA did not forget about the explosion that occurred in 2016), as well as in the process of refueling the rocket “on the go”, when the astronauts were at their “workplace”. Typically, missiles are refueling without people, since there is a non-zero risk of explosion during the fueling process. But SpaceX decided differently, partly to speed up the process so that the cooled fuel does not get too hot in the process of preparing the rocket for launch.

    In addition, NASA has comments on the parachute capsule system of both companies, both SpaceX and Boeing. “Serious problems were identified that could affect the implementation of the work plan for both SpaceX and Boeing,” the report said.

    According to Reuters sources, NASA has a lot more comments than noted in the report. For each of the partner companies, the agency made about three dozen comments. Unfortunately, it is not known what kind of problems this is - neither NASA nor the agency’s partners have yet commented on the situation. Nevertheless, experts say that both companies must solve all problems before the launch of astronauts (and cosmotourists) into near-Earth space.

    The ships mentioned in the report are the CST-100 StarLiner (Boeing ship) and Crew Dragon (SpaceX ship). The first unmanned launch of Crew Dragon was planned for March 2, and it was supposed to take place even earlier, but it was constantly postponed due to various problems. The flight tests of the CST-100 StarLiner also changed, the schedule was moved from March to April. SpaceX was supposed to start manned launches in July this year, Boeing - in August. In addition to the ships themselves, NASA partners are developing spacesuits for the team. Not so long ago, Boeing introduced its development, which was called "Boeing Blue".

    Under the terms of the contractwith NASA, spacecraft should accommodate a crew of at least four people. Also, in compartments, according to NASA requirements, it should be possible to place 100 kg of payload. The device should be able to remain docked to the station for 210 days in order to ensure the delivery of astronauts and astronauts to Earth, and, if necessary, to carry out emergency evacuation of the team. NASA believes that working with the new spacecraft Boeing and SpaceX will increase the crew of the station up to seven people. Thanks to this , the amount of time that can be devoted to scientific research will increase .

    A Boeing spokesman made a statement saying that the company “closed” the vulnerability of the ship’s capsule, so the test program carried out in January was successful. According to experts of this company, the Boeing ship and all its elements not only meet NASA's safety requirements, but even surpass them.

    SpaceX spokesman James Gleeson made a similar comment publicly. He stated that his company has developed "one of the safest and most advanced manned spaceflight systems ever available."

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