ST. LOUIS — With the flick of a few virtual
switches and the use of a control stick, two
NASA astronauts undocked Boeing's new
commercial spacecraft from the International
Space Station on Tuesday (April 26) — until
thunderstorms over St. Louis cut the simulation
short.
The (real-life) weather aside, astronauts Eric Boe
and Suni Williams said their simulated
spaceflight experience was a success as they
concluded the acceptance evaluations for the
two CST-100 Starliner Crew Part Task Trainers
"Although [the thunderstorm] was making a lot
of noise, we completed what we expected to do,"
stated Boe, who with Williams and astronauts
Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken comprise
NASA's first "cadre" of commercial crew
trainees. "It was a good day." [Boeing's Private
Space Capsule: CST-100 (Infographic) ]
"This is really exciting for our country and space
program," said Williams. "We're back creating
spacecraft and rockets in this country and
launching them from this country, which I think
is really exciting."
In September 2014, NASA selected Boeing as one
of two U.S. companies to provide commercial
launch services for its space station-bound
crews. The space agency awarded a total of
$6.8 billion, including $4.2 billion to Boeing for it
to complete and certify the CST-100 Starliner for
flight and $2.6 billion to SpaceX to do the same
with its Crew Dragon capsule.
Boeing is building the Starliner to fly atop a
United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At
the end of its mission, the capsule will return
under parachutes and deploy airbags to cushion
its touchdown in the southwestern United States.
To date, NASA has ordered its first two Starliner
missions, to follow Boeing's test flights to the
space station. The first piloted test, targeted for
late 2017, will be crewed by either Boe, Williams,
Hurley or Behnken and a Boeing test pilot, who
has yet to be selected.
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