{"id":2332336,"date":"2024-08-28T07:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nasa-and-boeings-failure-reminds-us-whats-at-stake-in-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T07:26:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:26:43","slug":"nasa-and-boeings-failure-reminds-us-whats-at-stake-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nasa-and-boeings-failure-reminds-us-whats-at-stake-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA And Boeing&#8217;s\u00a0Failure Reminds Us What&#8217;s At Stake In 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnasa-and-boeings-failure-reminds-us-whats-at-stake-in-2024%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332336&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>NASA has finally outlined a plan to bring \u2064back \u200dstranded astronauts \u200cSunita \u200dWilliams and Barry Wilmore, who were supposed to return in June \u200cbut faced\u2064 delays due to a malfunction\u2062 in\u2063 Boeing&#8217;s Starliner. They are now scheduled to return on SpaceX&#8217;s Dragon spacecraft in February 2024. NASA has been cautious in addressing the extended mission timeline, which has stretched\u2063 over \u200ceight\u2062 months,\u2064 and\u200d has emphasized \u200dsafety\u2064 and the thorough analyses conducted by their teams.<\/p>\n<p>Even with SpaceX\u2019s successful track record, NASA continues to express confidence in Boeing, \u2064despite the latter&#8217;s failures \u2063and the significant financial investment made\u2064 by NASA in Boeing compared to SpaceX. The astronauts have \u2062reportedly \u2063remained optimistic throughout the ordeal. Critics suggest that\u2063 the timing of the astronauts&#8217; \u200breturn coincides with the upcoming election, \u200chinting at potential political implications. Currently, \u2062three\u200c capsules are at the International Space\u200b Station, but\u200d none\u200b are available to\u2062 take the\u2062 astronauts home directly.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>After so many months of dithering, fumbling, and excuse-making, NASA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-decides-to-bring-starliner-spacecraft-back-to-earth-without-crew\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finally announced<\/a> it has a plan to bring back <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/08\/nasa-and-boeing-might-need-spacexs-help-to-rescue-astronauts-they-stranded-in-space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stranded astronauts Sunita &ldquo;Suni&rdquo; Williams and Barry &ldquo;Butch&rdquo; Wilmore<\/a> &mdash; next year. The two astronauts were originally supposed to return to Earth in mid-June, but because their spacecraft, Boeing&rsquo;s new shuttle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boeing.com\/space\/starliner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Starliner<\/a>, experienced a malfunction, they are scheduled to return on the SpaceX Dragon in February.<\/p>\n<p>Understandably, NASA has downplayed the embarrassing fact that the eight-day mission has expanded into more than eight months. They have also downplayed the other embarrassing fact that the aerospace juggernaut Boeing, which was awarded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-chooses-american-companies-to-transport-u-s-astronauts-to-international-space-station\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$1.6 billion more<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/nasa-boeing-starliner-astronauts-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">than SpaceX<\/a> in their fixed-price contracts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-pompeo-nukes-biden-in-response-to-biden-trying-to-blame-trump-for-afghanistan-debacle\/\" title=\"WATCH: Pompeo Nukes Biden In Response To Biden Trying To Blame Trump For Afghanistan Debacle\">utterly failed<\/a> to produce a comparable product to Elon Musk&rsquo;s much smaller upstart company.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of hanging their heads in shame, NASA officials (Boeing&rsquo;s officials were notably absent) <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/boeing-spacex-nasa-astronauts-starliner-e4e81e5a6c23dee2f8f72260ddea011c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kept a positive attitude<\/a> at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-gov-cuomo-shunned-experts-embraced-lobbyists-drove-top-health-officials-to-quit-over-pandemic-response-report\/\" title=\"NY Gov. Cuomo Shunned Experts, Embraced Lobbyists, Drove Top Health Officials To Quit Over Pandemic Response: Report\">recent press conference<\/a>, proclaiming their commitment to safety. As NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated, &ldquo;A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boeing-agrees-to-2-5b-settlement-over-737-max-crashes\/\" title=\"Boeing agrees to .5B settlement over 737 MAX crashes\">test flight<\/a> by nature is neither safe nor routine. [Our decision] is a result of a commitment to safety.&rdquo; Assistant NASA Administrator Ken Bowersox echoed this sentiment, adding, &ldquo;Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For their part, the astronauts have been unusually chipper about the whole debacle. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/boeing-space-astronauts-starliner-nasa-df30b94b0463a20eec72ce494d9bccc4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">news conference last month<\/a>, both astronauts seemed unfazed by the delay and expressed confidence in their team. Then again, seeing that the alternative is dying a fiery death in a rickety ship that lacks enough helium in its thrusters to land it upright, it&rsquo;s not like they have much choice except to be hopeful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By framing this issue in terms of safety and astronaut morale, it&rsquo;s clear that the people involved are trying to hide the fact that this mission was a massive failure. SpaceX has had working space capsules for four years now and is about to launch its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/space\/spacex-talks-land-recover-starship-rocket-off-australias-coast-2024-07-29\/#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20July%2029%20(Reuters),according%20to%20three%20people%20familiar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">next generation of spaceships<\/a> while Boeing can&rsquo;t even run a basic maintenance roundtrip to the International Space Station. Nevertheless, Nelson made sure to thank Boeing for its incompetence: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tellingly, no thanks was given to SpaceX for actually being able to come through and save NASA&rsquo;s astronauts. Even though Musk&rsquo;s company is currently &ldquo;reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams,&rdquo; Nelson continues to put his faith in Boeing&rsquo;s clunker, saying he is &ldquo;100 percent&rdquo; certain Starliner will again fly.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the biggest question remains unanswered: Why is NASA waiting until February to save the two astronauts? Could it be that there is an election happening this November and this news helps a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/16\/business\/musk-trump-support\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certain candidate who&rsquo;s supported by the owner of SpaceX<\/a> and hurts a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/kamala-harris-moonshot-presidency-donald-trump-us-elections-2024-space-race-china-moon-lunar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certain candidate<\/a> who has lavished praise on NASA in the past and currently leads the administration funding this nonsense?<\/p>\n<p>At the moment, there are three non-cargo space capsules docked at the ISS, none of which can take Butch and Suni home. First, there&rsquo;s the Starliner, which will return unmanned. Then there&rsquo;s the SpaceX Dragon, which has been parked there since March. Its four-person crew is scheduled to return in September but lacks the space for two extra astronauts. The third is a Russian space capsule, which is also not big enough for two more passengers and happens to belong to a current geopolitical adversary of the U.S.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But none of this should prevent NASA from using SpaceX to send another ship to pick up Butch and Suni much sooner &mdash; an option to which NASA gave &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/boeing-spacex-nasa-astronauts-starliner-e4e81e5a6c23dee2f8f72260ddea011c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no serious consideration<\/a>,&rdquo; according to the AP.<\/p>\n<p>True, one could give NASA and Boeing the benefit of the doubt, but these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-evangelical-leaders-betrayed-christians-for-politics\/\" title=\"How Evangelical Leaders Betrayed Christians For Politics\">organizations don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t deserve it. Occam&rsquo;s razor (the simplest explanation is usually the right one) suggests this was all about saving face. They can spin this as some routine protocol, that the astronauts wanted to stay eight extra months to run tests and finish a few thousand Sudoku puzzles, and that all this is valuable information for future launches, but the truth is that these organizations failed big and need to be reformed.<\/p>\n<p>Try as they might to cover up this fact, such reform is on the ballot this November. As a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/article\/2024\/may\/05\/the-new-space-race-what-are-chinas-ambitions-and-why-is-the-us-so-concerned\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new space race is emerging with China<\/a> to colonize the moon, the American space program is no longer a nationalist vanity project but a serious matter of strategic interest. American taxpayers can no longer indulge failed government agencies like NASA and failed crony corporations like Boeing. They deserve more for their money, and that starts with bringing the astronauts back home on time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Auguste Meyrat is an English teacher in the Dallas area. He holds an MA in humanities and an MEd in educational leadership. He is the senior editor of <a>The Everyman<\/a>  , a senior contributor to The Federalist, and has written for essays for The American Mind, The American Conservative, Religion and Liberty, Crisis Magazine, and elsewhere. Follow him on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MeyratAuguste\">X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After months of indecision, missteps, and justifications, NASA has finally revealed a plan to rescue stranded astronauts Sunita \u201cSuni\u201d Williams and Barry \u201cButch\u201d Wilmore \u2014 set for next year. The astronauts were initially expected to return in mid-June; however, due to a malfunction with Boeing\u2019s new Starliner spacecraft, their return is now scheduled for February aboard the SpaceX Dragon. <\/p>\n<p>NASA has understandably downplayed the embarrassing reality that what was meant to be an eight-day mission has stretched into over eight months. They have also minimized the fact that Boeing, which received $1.6 billion more than SpaceX under their fixed-price contracts, failed to deliver a product comparable to Elon Musk&#8217;s smaller company.<\/p>\n<p>At a recent press conference, NASA officials (notably absent were those from Boeing) maintained an optimistic demeanor while emphasizing their commitment to safety. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson remarked that &#8220;a test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,&#8221; asserting that their decision stemmed from prioritizing safety. Assistant Administrator Ken Bowersox supported this view by praising both teams for their thorough analysis and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test.<\/p>\n<p>The astronauts themselves have remained surprisingly upbeat about the situation; during a news conference last month, they appeared unfazed by the delays and expressed confidence in their team. Given that the alternative involves risking death in an unreliable spacecraft lacking sufficient helium for proper landing maneuvers, maintaining hope seems like their only option.<\/p>\n<p>By framing this situation around safety and astronaut morale, it becomes evident that those involved are attempting to obscure what is essentially a significant failure of this mission. SpaceX has had operational space capsules for four years and is preparing its next generation of ships while Boeing struggles even with basic maintenance trips to the International Space Station (ISS). Nonetheless, Nelson expressed gratitude towards Boeing despite its shortcomings: &#8220;I\u2019m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Notably absent was any acknowledgment or thanks directed toward SpaceX for successfully stepping up when needed. While Musk&#8217;s company works on reconfiguring seats on its Crew-9 Dragon capsule\u2014preparing it for additional cargo as well as personal items and spacesuits\u2014the focus remains on ensuring Starliner will eventually fly again.<\/p>\n<p>A pressing question lingers: Why does NASA plan to wait until February before rescuing these two astronauts? Could it be related to an upcoming election this November? This timing could potentially benefit one candidate backed by SpaceX\u2019s owner while undermining another who has previously praised NASA.<\/p>\n<p>Currently docked at ISS are three non-cargo space capsules\u2014none capable of bringing Butch and Suni home: Starliner will return unmanned; SpaceX Dragon lacks room since its crew returns in September; meanwhile, a Russian capsule cannot accommodate two extra passengers either.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these limitations not preventing NASA from utilizing SpaceX sooner\u2014an option they reportedly did not seriously consider\u2014it seems clear there are deeper issues at play here beyond mere logistics or protocol adherence.<\/p>\n<p>While one might argue in favor of giving NASA and Boeing some leeway regarding these challenges faced during testing phases\u2014the reality suggests otherwise. The simplest explanation points toward efforts aimed at preserving reputations rather than addressing failures head-on\u2014a narrative spun around routine procedures or extended missions filled with valuable data collection when fundamentally they fell short significantly.<\/p>\n<p>As reform discussions loom ahead of November elections amidst rising competition from China regarding lunar colonization efforts\u2014the American space program must evolve beyond being merely symbolic national pride but rather become crucially strategic moving forward. Taxpayers deserve better accountability from government agencies like NASA alongside corporations such as Boeing\u2014they warrant timely returns home instead of prolonged delays without justification<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":2332337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/VP-Kamala-Harris-and-French-President.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[14922,5071,11488],"class_list":["post-2332336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-boeing","tag-failure","tag-nasa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/VP-Kamala-Harris-and-French-President.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}