What Do Stuck Astronauts Say About America's Space Program?

[@GeneCash]

Does anyone remember 10 years ago when Commercial Crew started, the attitude was "why the hell are we giving money to these SpaceX yuppies? They'll never build a working capsule! Boeing is the one with experience and NASA is wasting its money!" Pepperidge Farms remembers.

[@SoloRenegade]

Dream Chaser......

[@havetwo6280]

Boeing was once led by engineers who prioritized innovation and quality. Now, it's dominated by bean counters focused on cost-cutting. That says it all

[@chrishensley6745]

SO TRUE!

[@AlanToon-fy4hg]

With the results as shown.

[@MarkD-pl4fu]

nope, Rainbow/ Push Coalition vs Boeing. Also EEOC's mandates. It is happening to ever company since AA executive orders in the 60s. Enjoy the higher prices. I would not fly anywhere or trust anything made in America with my life. It is what it is... and it is kinda funny too.

[@richardmarquardt6246]

Yep, the death of "old engineer" Boeing came when McDonnell essentially took over Boeing when they merged. In effect McDonnell used Boeing's money to take over Boeing.

[@pin65371]

Also look at Lockheed. It was run by engineers for the longest time. The past few decades its been run by people with basically no engineering experience. I think the current CEO is a former McKinsey consultant. In general it seems like people that go from McKinsey to running any companies usually end up destroying that company in the long run.

[@rdyer8764]

My first exposure to TJ and his expertise. Really great contributor. I look forward to his next episode.

[@Farweasel]

Scott Kelly talking about Space Station's attitude reminded me of the immortal lyrics of Ivor Bigguns version of 'Space Oddity' (Ground control) What's your height and attitude? (Ivor B) 'I'm 5 foot 6 in my Y fronts, pig-ignorant & rude'

[@ton73z28]

Meanwhile Boeing CEOs and CFOs still get their bonuses instead of putting it back into the company.

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

Yah if they want people on starliner to CEO and CFO should fly up on dragon then they can take the starliner back

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

bonuses are tied to price/share - why would you put your own money into a collapsing stock?

[@AuralioCabal]

@@ton73z28 Boeing CEOs have been getting bonuses , getting fired or leaving soon after scandals or airliner crashes, then riding off into the sunset, at least the last two did..

[@Rhino2075]

Boeing's most recent CEO, an accountant, is resigning. The new CEO is an engineer, like they used to be and intends to work in Seattle. Not Washington. Maybe they will be better again.

[@anonymouscontributor2376]

Clawback is a thing but (sadly) doesn’t really extend to higher ups in the corporate structure, let alone the laws for this in the U.S.A. Creditor clawback is the only financial tool that I’m aware of, which is a slightly different element in its own right. I wish it extended further than blatant fraud to complex situations like what is going on with Boeing; i.e. wanton/reckless safety failures due to clear/known reckless short-cuts and corner cutting (greed), management failures (pressure due to more greed), extremely bad process controls (due to more pressure and ultimately more corporate greed), product failures, etc. etc. I wish these two NASA astronauts the best and utmost safety, and hope they can return back home to Earth as soon as possible. 🙏❤️🙏

[@kennethng8346]

What the MBA's always fail to recognize is that experience counts in engineering. They just see "I can get two junior engineers for the price of one experienced one, so I can get twice the work done"

[@wyskass861]

No need to be falsely dour. It's certainly not always and it's bad analysts. Of course experience is a metric in human resource metrics.

[@Johnwashere-dt2ov]

… Two junior engineers outsourced overseas..

[@danapeck5382]

Totally agree. The irony being how many MBAs have undergraduate engineering degrees; I'd love to see survey data on who they are and what prompted the career change

[@momofmanda]

@@Johnwashere-dt2ov Do they outsource engineers? Remember Elon wasn't allowed to hire non-American citizens.

[@Johnwashere-dt2ov]

@@kennethng8346 I don’t doubt that Boeing hired the best and brightest engineers. That the technical side. Once a graduate or anyone for that matter joins a company, they mould into the prevailing corporate culture that rewards and punishes certain behaviours. By osmosis, new employees become part of the culture.

[@grantberardi5080]

ALL other space reporting media should be REQUIRED to watch this channel and this report specifically. Very clear and concise.

[@solarissv777]

TBH, nothing special, everything is dumbed down too much. Try watching some specialized space channel like NSF, Everyday Astronaut or Scott Manley.

[@tonyschaffer3853]

Boeing managerial layoffs in ‘21 has left that company with a serious deficit in institutional knowledge. Those missing engineers allow for gaps in safety protocols and procedures.

[@coachwendy5618]

And they're missing because... Boeing was more interested in profits than safety.

[@krostouin]

If it is Boeing, I'm not going.

[@mrsaskriders]

Gasp more appropriate than gaps 😮

[@natehendricksen3338]

True. Most large corporations used the covid shutdown as an excuse to push a lot of experienced (higher salary) out. Across the country, there was a mind blowing loss of years of experience.​@@coachwendy5618

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

Boeing started down that road 25 years ago when they sold out to Wall Street.

[@svr5423]

Big companies are all the same: Get rid of all the expensive people who know how to do their job. Replace them with interns. Then make a surprised pikachu face when the sh*t hits the fan.

[@alantasman8273]

...you forgot the big bonuses the execs pay themselves and the investment houses that allow them to do it.

[@Farweasel]

Well I though BOING gave the work to subcontractors to foul up but .....

[@zonaken]

Sadly, it's a sign of these times we live in and not just at a problem at big companies... Zk

[@Absaalookemensch]

It happens with small companies also. Look at OceanGate. That policy didn't work out well for their Titan deep sea submersible.

[@jimkennedy9242]

Yes. Just look at Home Depot. They used to employ trained specialists. Now they are populated with 18-year-old chicks chewing gum and staring at their phones who know absolutely nothing.

[@jorgewhite6658]

The launch was delayed several times for technical reaspns and was given the go ahead despite several issues. Honestly ? If Boeing was building cars I would rather walk.

[@MarkD-pl4fu]

The funny part: NASA has control over the launch and the mission, so double failure. Whatever, all of them removed the standards for diversity, and now it is what it is.

[@MrJdsenior]

@@MarkD-pl4fu "standards for diversity"?

[@bboomermike2126]

On traditional news sources a person gets a mishmash of sometimes conflicting information. After watching this video I finally feel I have a good handle on the situation.

[@MrJdsenior]

Then you are ahead of Boeing and NASA.

[@joevignolor4u949]

Starliner has helium leaks and thruster problems. The Apollo lunar module would fly to the moon, land, sit on the moon for three days and return to orbit without leaking any helium and the thrusters always worked perfectly. If Grumman could do it 50 years ago how come Boeing can't do the same thing now?

[@andrewhotston983]

DEI

[@JoshuaTootell]

Profits first

[@baruchba7503]

DEI

[@coachwendy5618]

DEI=DIE

[@davidsoom1551]

Yes, why? Why is Star Ship failing? Who's causing more delay to the moon? I'd say SpaceX Star Ship!

[@selwynandrews9665]

Textbook courteous and concise interviewing from Ward, he let TJ answer without interruption. Great work!

[@YTRocketMan]

Nice debrief! Kudos to Ward and TJ.

[@hoffbd1]

Not stranded, just can't leave. Thank you for your astute clarification!

[@vicnighthorse]

Maybe there needs to be more personal accountability for managers that make enormous salaries and still squander shareholder and public money. Organizational accountability (if any) doesn't seem to be enough.

[@alantasman8273]

People invest their retirement savings with investment houses controlling who is allowed to be at the top. Disney is a prime example Black Rock, Vanguard and others have massive investments in Disney yet do nothing to remove the incompetent management in power....its almost as if they want to destroy the savings of Americans and make them easier to control.

[@livethefuture2492]

Thats exactly the problem with Boeing...there is no accountability. Why else did the MAX crisis occur. Its cuz they lobbied the FAA to shirk on their safety regulations. Theyre 'too big to fail' in many ways.

[@mvaiks]

If the issue was with SpaceX's Dragon, this "mishap" would be front page, prime time on every channel day after day.

[@MrJdsenior]

Oh yeah, Musk and SpaceX are just so put upon. Spare me the nonsense.

[@WalkiTalki]

People were "joking" that if they made it to the space station in one piece that Musk would have to go bring them back, before they even launched. The scary thing about it is that some people are surprised by this situation.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

I was surprised they managed to dock with thruster issues, never had a mission launched with a control system leak on the ground.

[@jtjames79]

I was watching that NASA interview. The only safe way to get Starliner back and not have it become space debris, is to send up a Tesla bot to push the buttons.

[@AuralioCabal]

​@@swampfox4425Elon knows how to fix things, Boeing has O clues, yes you read that right, ZERO CLUES!😂LOL

[@AuralioCabal]

When the two astronauts learned that they are GOING to the ISS they should have said. " I AIN'T GOING"!!😮

[@jtjames79]

@@AuralioCabal One of them did. Chris Ferguson said he was going out for milk and cigarettes four years ago.

[@cherokee43v6]

(music) An eight day mission... an eight day mission... Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale a tale of a fateful trip It started from the Canaveral Port aboard this tiny ship... (/music)

[@sparticus1115]

3 hour cruise😳 Ring a bell🤣

[@Rorschach1024]

Ward, I know a thing or two about high reliability valves. Teflon is NOT the material to use where seal extrusion is possible. Any experienced engineer should know that. Apparently there are no experienced engineers at Boeing anymore.

[@Ganiscol]

Now that sounds like an armchair expert comment! 😅 First of, its labeled as a rumor. Secondly, what insight do you have in the design of the problematic system to make this statement even if it was an ominous teflon o-ring? And are you positive nobody else has done it before? Because, why would NASA give the nod if it was such an obvious rookie error?

[@williamgreene4834]

Teflon is injection molded, which means it melts. If the dog house they are in gets too hot it will extrude, or worse. All thrusters use Teflon for NTO. They have a design issue, pertaining to hotiosity.

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

"Apparently there are no experienced engineers at Boeing anymore." Boeing did not design or build the thrusters

[@williamgreene4834]

@@alexanderSydneyOz Yes but they did design the enclosure which is why they are overheating. You are right about bad Boeing engineers.

[@noahway13]

Will teflon tape work on gasoline fittings on an automobile?

[@msreenivas3946]

These two are great human beings of unlimited humility and discipline. God bless them with longevity and success.

[@Night_Stryke]

So much great information! Thanks T.J. and Ward!

[@jeffr6280]

Boeing is an absolute dumpster fire of an organization and they need to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt. The KC-46 has been plagued with corruption, design deficiencies and delays, same goes for the VC-25B(AF-1 747's) project. Pile on the murderous consequences of the 737 MAX program negligence and the consistently poor performance of the Starliner craft which has been ridiculously over budget and behind schedule almost since its' inception. If it wasn't for SpaceX, the U.S. Space Program simply wouldn't be flying.

[@deanfawcett2085]

You could add in the 777X delays to that dumpster. Just how long does it take to do anything at Boeing these days?

[@pjhaebe]

Airbus is kicking Boeing ass and it’s good to see quality winning over quantity. I love AB aircraft.

[@jeffr6280]

@@deanfawcett2085 About 10 years longer than it should, and with half the quality they used to produce

[@danimal0921]

Please allow me to preface this with, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Suni for making the ISS team, and I don't intend any disrespect by what I am going to say. This said, am I the only one that thought Suni's hair in her interview clip looked a whole lot like Medusa's hair in "Clash of the Titans"? 😂

[@keithmcknight7646]

Can’t afford a hair clip or tie their into a pony tail? Why do women astronauts let their hair float WILD like that?

[@captainsunshine918]

So glad to see this! When speculation and misinformation abound it is always refreshing to get the real scoop from trusted sources. Thanks!

[@alantasman8273]

The fact is that extended stays in zero gravity environments are unhealthy for astronauts. This has been repeatedly demonstrated by prior extended stay missions resulting in muscle atrophy and organ damage diagnosed after their return from space. If these astronauts were not in peak condition to begin with, while expecting a nominal mission, an extended mission may pose a health hazard to them. I pray for their safety and their families.

[@rustybones5540]

I learned more in this video than in other news sources, newspapers, so called experts, official NASA channels, podcasts. Ward. As usual, you deliver timely, succinctly, professional levels. Salute💪🏻

[@RangerChris61]

This whole situation is a prime example of just how far Boeing has fallen. With the continuing issues that their commercial aircraft continue to experience it should be no surprise that this is also happening with their spacecraft. What was not mentioned is that Boeing is not confident the software patch will not brick the spacecraft and cause it to be permanently stuck docked.

[@livethefuture2492]

And Boeing doesnt exactly have a great record of Software patches...

[@anthonydolezal6627]

Thank you for clearing up a lot of questions. Very good information. Keep Smilin!!!!

[@s1dfk4123]

Stranded? If you're old enough to remember the movie was called: Marooned (1969)

[@caldodge]

I've enjoyed TJ's appearances on "What About It?", and am very happy his own channel will be brought back from suspended animation.

[@pete-iv]

"She ran a marathon, He printed a tool". Amazing people, just struck me as funny.

[@Agnemons]

So, how many times did Sunni run around the Earth?

[@randallsluder8289]

Just say it, SpaceX builds a rocket cheeper. Boeing builds their ship in multiple congressional districts.

[@StarwaterCWS]

In china

[@1tactundra140]

Just says it, NASA is a bunch of Cucks. Boeing is worried about$$$. What Boeing needs to worry about is out is that they are not the parent company of the Tech that shot down Malaysian airlines MH370 with a Directed Energy Weapon. Ashton Forbes has the videos.

[@livethefuture2492]

SpaceX cares about the product...boeing cares about the stock price...

[@MrTexasDan]

... and this administration hates Elan Musk.

[@IndigoSierra]

​@@StarwaterCWSMade in the USA. Higher reliability than the shuttle. Is the only thing keeping America from being completely dominated in space by China. In 2023 there were 108 launches in America. There were 67 in China. 93 of America's launches were falcon 9, all of which were successful.

[@dont6441]

The Starliner program is toast, in my opinion. It can't get much worse.

[@mikemaresca4999]

...why'd you have to say that?

[@xenon132]

Don't say that, Boeing will take it as a challenge.

[@davidsoom1551]

Then what do you have to say about Star Ship? Witch is delaying the moon mission more, SpaceX or Boeing?

[@tom.m]

It can always get worse.

[@brin6449]

@@davidsoom1551 the two programs and their delays and issues can't even be compared.

[@HandyMan657]

That was top notch info, Ward. Thanks to you and T.J. Take care, keep safe.

[@EveryoneIsFightingSomeBattle]

This reminds me of when NASA decided to end the shuttle program with NOTHING ready to replace it.

[@JoshuaTootell]

NASA didn't decide that.

[@EveryoneIsFightingSomeBattle]

@@JoshuaTootell ?

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

The decision to end the Shuttle program is multi fold. Driven by Funding, Different Administrations, conditions of the SHUTTLE. There's been nothing consistent at the Congressional or Presidential level on what they want the Space program to do. You also have the balance the needs of both the manned program and the unmanned.

[@Manco65]

And focus on climate change and DEI.🙄 Sorry I didn't want to bring that up but it shows a dangerous lack of focus on NASA's primary research.. Which shouldn't involve playing political paddy cake with specific issues.

[@jastrapper190]

He there goes another Chin3s3 spy balloon… has anyone seen AW0L Austin?

[@frankgulla2335]

Thanks, Ward, for interview and feedback from an independent source about Starliner and Boeing.

[@gordonbergslien30]

WAIT! WHAT? They make assumptions!?!? When you assume you make an... Okay, you know. While I'm at it, NASA flew 135 Shuttle missions with two LOC events. Your chance of dying were one in 67.5. Still, it was a bad call to retire the obiters before we had a replacement. We should have planned better. Great work as usual, Comander. TJ, you're a great asset to the channel.

[@legoeasycompany]

Gotta love that the politicians pulled funding for the Ares rockets the year before they retired the Shuttle program

[@hoghogwild]

@@legoeasycompany The Constellation program had some serious rocketry.

[@bobbys4327]

@@legoeasycompany Hey, somebody has to pay for their new vacation home in the tropics.

[@Dcassimatis]

Glad to see T.J. is rebooting his channel.

[@carlettoburacco9235]

I can imagine the state of mind of the two astronauts: "We are here 'delayed' and down below beancounters and PR-men in endless meetings are deciding what to do in order not to lose face and money. We will end up having to jump down with a rocket powered parachute backpack."

[@helpdeskjnp]

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m just so happy how diverse Boeing is…

[@themoonman-4]

Tj! Bravo, Thank You! Ward!

[@nav_man]

"Astronauts aren't stranded.....Starliner is"

[@billbrockman779]

The only part of Boeing that seems to perform is the old McDonnell fighter program in St Louis, F-15 and F-18. Am I wrong?

[@paulpark1170]

and the P-8 Poseiden and the Wedgetail. Perhaps the T-7 Redhawk too

[@jonhutchens9770]

Great information, not provided by the media.

[@LackofFaithify]

The same as it says about our aerospace industry as a whole, our semiconductor industry, our ship building industry, our nuclear power industry, our electrical grid, our infrastructure, our *insert a noun*. If it does not profit within a quarter, what use is it to us?

[@jasonwooden]

This decade is like the 1970's all over again. Everything is going off the rails.

[@Jakob_DK]

The value adding parts are still US. And you mix a lot of industries. We have to make something in exchange for what we buy from you. Else you cannot sell. Nuclear power seems not profitable so let others loose on that.

[@jpotter2086]

That which does nit profit is the realm of the public, handled by the gov't on the public's behalf. Profit seekers corrupted, undermined the gov't, at a cultural level, and then at every bureaucratic level.

[@alantasman8273]

@@jasonwooden Nope, in the 70's there were still politicians that gave a damn...like soon to be President Reagan. People how actually love Americans and their country despite many of them selling out our manufacturing to China. Today...the mar-x-ist in charge only want to destroy America and make us slaves.

[@erinharkiewicz7239]

This is so extremely true. Read the book by Tom Kelly, the project manager for Grumman on the LEM. (The book is titled “Moon Lander”). In his early days of Grumman, he was hired to work in a division, basically sat around all day and filled up interesting ideas that they thought might be relevant to upcoming military and aerospace contracts, so that they could bid swiftly and with knowledge. I’m doubting that sort of“expense” is tolerated and today’s private equity driven corporations

[@davidwestfall4336]

I really like the - this sounds awkward - down-to-earth discussions you have with the right people.

[@FunWithCars716]

Hello Ward and fans from Buffalo Niagara Falls NY USA 👋🇺🇲

[@charleseinarson]

My dad was a welder for a company in Redmond, WA that is now Aerojet. He would often challenge the engineers on designs using his 1940s North Dakota farm school education based on his experience building rockets. At one point he had touched every telecom or GPS satellite and built the motors for things like the Viking Mars lander. He hated receiving reject tags for things he worked on, especially when it wasn’t his fault.

[@wbwarren57]

Follow the money! How much money did Boeing Starliner managers get to launch the Starlighter regardless of its safety? How much in the way of campaign contributions did Boeing give US senators and congressmen to pressure NASA into launching the Starlighter before it was ready? Follow the damn money!

[@RonJohn63]

"How much money did Boeing Starliner managers get ..." Eh? As bribes? As bonuses? Because *bonuses* are paid at _YEAR END_ and this sure as heck ain't Year End. Thus, I think you're more than a bit delusional. "How much in the way of campaign contributions did Boeing give US senators and congressmen to pressure NASA into launching the Starlighter before it was ready?" You seem to be confusing Starliner with the SLS. _Especially_ since the Starliner is Yet Another big, fat black eye for Boeing, and who the heck wants yet another black eye?

[@On-down-the-road]

Look for FAA taking money from Boeing to be able to fly junk into space.

[@noname117spore]

Starliner is losing Boeing money at the moment because of it's development issues and delays.

[@wbwarren57]

@@noname117spore Boeing is facing the loss of much more than money. They thought that launching Starliner would restore their reputation - and it has not. Coupled with the screw ups on SLS and the 737 Max, Boeing is facing huge losses in the stock market and potentially being broken up by the US government. To avoid that, I have no doubt that Boeing is putting pressure on NASA and Congress.

[@JackWaldbewohner]

Commander, you are the best. Thank you for tackling this subject!!!

[@Gamble661]

"The vehicle is still extremely safe in a lot of ways"....long pause.....K.......

[@gking5522]

Ward, another well run vlog. I appreciate your service and the effort you put in to the channel. T.J., I'm delighted to see that you are an intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable contributor to the channel. After seeing you on the WAI show, I had my doubts! I'm glad I was mistaken.

[@jasonlarsen3515]

The government is working very hard to not let spaceX help

[@danam0228]

Nice to see a new video. This is a crazy situation. Is good to hear about. Very curious about Ward and community's take on Vance Walz situation, their service, etc.

[@LethalJizzle]

McDonnell Douglas Starliner

[@conorlauren]

A fantastic interview just keeping things real.

[@darrencorrigan8505]

Thanks, Ward.

[@richardtardo5170]

Being a long term M.I. complex member Boeing has gotten too bureaucratic,hiring many former politicians to interact with government.

[@oddshot60]

Ward Carroll: What Do Stuck Astronauts Say About America's Space Program? ME: Right Now? Not much. If they get angry and start making threats, NASA just might leave them stuck up there. When they get back to earth, I imagine somebody at Boeing and NASA is in for an old fashioned butt kickin'.

[@livethefuture2492]

Nothing we didnt already know. That boeing is exactly what everyone thought it was and has been for years with all the delays and lobbying and false promises...and that SpaceX is as usual basically carrying the load of all the old established contractors, and essentially carrying the entire US space program at this point.

[@Johnwashere-dt2ov]

Semi retired Electrical Engineer with 44 years in the workforce with about 50% of that time as an IT Project manger. Regarding Testing, depending on the complexity etc of the project, management always cut testing budget, schedule and therefore quality. In my experience, testing can be one third of both the cost and schedule of a major program.

[@user-qq73hxryby]

While of course astronaut safety comes first, unless I missed it I don’t think you mentioned that the section of Starliner with the problems burns up on reentry, so they won’t be able to run any more tests once they pull that trigger.

[@kenking7260]

I have an MS in physics and a Wharton MBA. Never was I taught that I should put near-term monitization of an entrepreneurial endeavor first. We were taught in a dozen different ways to create value. I also enjoy your videos... but not necessarily every comment in them.

[@Johnwashere-dt2ov]

It’s not what you were taught but when a young grad commences employment they enter a workplace culture and on the job training includes fitting in with the team and corporate culture.

[@nikbhatnagar9024]

What they could do is send the current dragon back first with the four astronauts it brought, and leave the starliner which is cleared for emergency’s for Butch and Suni, then have the 2 person dragon come up with room for four astronauts, and then ditch starliner. That doesn’t leave anyone without a seat home in an emergency.

[@manifold1476]

It doesn't even have the software for an automatic undocking.

[@nikbhatnagar9024]

⁠@@manifold1476TJ said in the video that Boeing is working on sending up autonomous undocking software.

[@randymichel459]

The Starliner problems don’t remind me of Challenger or Columbia as much they do Soyuz 1. Vladimir Komarov knew it had problems leading up to launch and took the ride as it would spare his best friend Yuri Gagarin from putting his life at risk as he was the national hero at that point and was the other pilot trained for it. Only we have the luxury of having a safe haven with ISS and an alternate mode of transportation back down that is more proven. I hope NASA takes heed.

[@okrajoe]

Sometimes I wonder if all the manned spaceflight money after Apollo would have been better spent on robotic exploration.

[@BillDyszel]

Once again, terrific coverage at a level of detail I haven't seen anywhere else. Thanks!!

[@utmastuh]

I'm ok with using stranded. I understand the negative PR that comes with it, and the fact they can return, but the vehicle they came in on isn't safe. Imagine flying a commercial aircraft where engines and flight controls could randomly fail.... Oh wait

[@garett-san4066]

or doors just pop out of their frame in the middle of a flight....

[@Manco65]

Yep, BOE........ ING.☹️

[@Ganiscol]

You should look up the definition of 'stranded', then you would not be ok with using it. And also acknowledge that absolute safety does not exist in space. Only risk management.

[@IndigoSierra]

​@@GaniscolThen risk management should tell you to not fly on Starliner. At least not on these early test flights. I'm sure these problems will be fixed eventually, but the entire Starliner program has been delayed, over budget, and isn't producing great results. Yes every launch vehicle has some degree of risk, they all can fail in some way, but Starliner has gone above and beyond due to terrible integrated ground testing by Boeing. Just because there is no absolute safety in space does not mean that we should fly astronauts on systems that fail orders of magnitude more often than competing systems. I'm all for competition, but Starliner is just a joke. Even if all following flights go perfectly, it will only fly approx. six times. And no, they are not stranded.

[@beerdrinker6452]

This channel speaks with common sense at its core.

[@logicae4096]

You can't say that the risk is 99.2 or 99.6%. Until they understand exactly what the issue is AND what the fix is.

[@LoricSwift]

Exactly. You cant make an assessment about whether or not something is safe, if you don't have the numbers. And they don't have the numbers.

[@briangriffiths114]

Good video, informative and interesting. Let's hope that the situation is satisfactorily resolved in the near future.

[@nowjustanother]

Boeing is such a shit show from top to bottom. "Too big to fail" has real consequences when corporate leadership knows it's the only game in town.

[@livethefuture2492]

Luckily in the Space Industry at least...SpaceX has shown they aren't. Which is why its so satisfying to see a high paced innovation focused startup like SpaceX basically blow all the old established contractors out of the water, who've gotten away with this stuff for decades, just look at the SLS program and how absurdly over budget and delayed that is, just these 'too big to fail' companies sitting on their cushy contracts, lobbying endlessly with no incentive to deliver.

[@solarissv777]

The US needs the second commercial airplane manufacturer, then Boeing's position won't be so cushy. NG is building bombers, LM - fighters and tranports, LM and Bell - helicopters, SX and many more smaller - space rockets. The only niche Boeing doesn't have a US competitor is civil aviation.

[@deanfawcett2085]

@@solarissv777 Soon enough it will be a Chinese competitor if Boeing doesn't change its tune.

[@solarissv777]

@@deanfawcett2085 but if Boeing remains the US's sole passenger plane manufacturer the government will continue to bail it out

[@Agnemons]

@@deanfawcett2085 Boeing are turning Chinese with their build quality.

[@JohnLeaman-un4rh]

Great pod cast Ward. U covered issues most of us would have never thought of.

[@ralphwatten2426]

If you're on a desert island and can't get off and go home, you're stranded. That would be the correct terminology. They're stranded. NASA: You two are going to be up there for at least another 4 months. Astronauts: Oh...well I'm glad we're not stranded!

[@missingremote4388]

With the space station vehicle constantly moving, but they can not get off I'd say they are marooned on it

[@ralphwatten2426]

@@missingremote4388 Space astronaut Robinsons?

[@Van_Nostrand]

My late father was an engineer for Rocketdyne from the 1950's into the 1980's. He would be angry and embarrassed by what is going on today. He saw incompetence starting to slip in around the time he retired in the late '80's.

[@gcflower99]

@2:35 sums it up pretty nicely: "Boeing does not really know what the root cause is...". Well, at least the door did not blow out of this one during the trip...yet. Shame on you, Boeing, for the crappy engineering, the crappy (and lack of) QC, and the crappy testing. You think you'll just let the crew test drive it as guinea pigs and find out what works and what doesn't?!

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

Yes but they are Diverse! That's what is important.

[@michaelmeehan9083]

Great information and update, thanks for doing it Ward!!

[@mattheww2797]

The problem is lobbyists getting contracts for companies, instead of the private sector where you would chose the best product to deliver the service, same goes for all of government procurement

[@erinharkiewicz7239]

When do you think things were ever done differently, especially in the program?

[@donwilson1307]

Ward, always entertaining and forthright. Great info. As someone who flew Boeings for almost 27 yrs it sad to see Boeing having so many problems.

[@barryinkpen6026]

It's hard to believe that so many excuses are being made for Boeing. This craft was simple not designed and tested properly! You may think 0.4% is a good number for a potential loss of crew but I doubt if too many other people in the industry would. It is clear that there are "major" software and hardware issues with the craft, and major issues with the management and leadership at Boeing. This space craft issue is only one in many others.

[@LoricSwift]

Part of the reason why they haven't been given the go ahead is they really don't know what the chance of failure is, which is honestly not something you can sign off on. The more that comes out the clearer it is Boeing really don't know what they are doing, it was badly designed, built, and just as importantly not properly tested. Starliner could come back safe right now, but it needs so many redesigns and modifications it would be a meaningless joke to certify it at this point, if it flies again it wont be the same craft.

[@Ganiscol]

0.4 has nothing to do with Boeing, that is NASA doctrine and its good doctrine. You need to realize and acknowledge what space flight is: Risky. Always.

[@LoricSwift]

@@Ganiscol I don't disagree with that, and that was probably the number Boeing was aiming for. What I disagree with was one of the guys in the video saying the chance of failure of Starliner was 0.4%, which I don't know where he got that from honestly but it is wrong. We don't know, which is the problem (or one of them) Until recently Boeing had *no* idea what was even causing the failures. They hope they do now. Clearly not enough testing was done before the flight.

[@jenswetter251]

It's the second time I ran into TJ today-the other time it was the thorough description what led to the Osprey grounding in 2023. Competent, well done, interesting: a great return on investment of your time. I subscribed and will happily share. 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@JoeRockstar]

I wonder what the per diem and overtime for getting stuck in orbit pays?

[@livethefuture2492]

Nothing compared to what it costs...lol. This whole debacle probably cost NASA couple hundred million dollars alone.

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

They are on a salary

[@flyingsword135]

Nothing, government lodging and meals provided. Read the JFTR.

[@PaulLoveless-Cincinnati]

​@@flyingsword135what is JFTR?

[@rvnerd7671]

Love the continuous relevant content. Same as always, Sir. Well done.

[@On-down-the-road]

Dragon can add up to 4 more seats total 8, so why not put 2 in with group 9, and install them in the group 8 ship. Thats how you bring Butch ans Sunny back ASAP. The weight of 2 seats can be reconfigured.

[@noname117spore]

Dragon can add 3, but they wouldn't be able to rotate, which would've been fine if they had done propulsive landings, but since they switched to water landings that has a risk of injury IIRC.

[@kingcrazymani4133]

Thanks, Mooch and TJ. Suni went to the same high school as I did, a few years behind. I’m worried about only 2 people on the planet now. Suni is one of them. And she is in orbit, not on the planet. 13:00. Suni studied Russian in High School. As did I.

[@russ254]

the problem is that she’s not on the planet

[@kingcrazymani4133]

@@russ254 Good catch. The trouble with metaphor sometimes is lack of precision or worse.

[@boost7983]

Boeing used to have the nickname ' The Lazy B ' it's not surprising Space X delivers in half the time, at half the cost. Most likely, Space X will save the day.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

And save Boeing money in the return too.

[@matthew7972]

And save lives

[@livethefuture2492]

SpaceX is singlehandedly carrying the US space program right now. With the atrophy in the industry by the end of the shuttle era...I cant imagine where we would be now without them.

[@whirledpeaz5758]

I wonder what bonuses and extra compensation Butch and Suni get for their 'extended' mission'.

[@spikestubbs210]

Boeing should never have been allowed to compete. They need to stick to making airplanes. The idea that they are in the game for completion's sake is a joke, considering they have a near monopoly on domestic airline manufacturing.

[@JonRattlehead]

Well presented, thank you Mr. Ward.

[@10bbremer]

We are not sure why the wings keep falling off and until we do figure it out we will continue to fly. - anonymous corporation.

[@williammrdeza9445]

Great information. Thanks Ward and T.J.!

[@poncho6784]

Go figure, putting the search for profits ahead of the retention and recruitment of people is a recipe for long term failure. Like we needed yet another example of an industry leaders becoming followers due to such a mentality and culture.

[@rickheddeno4]

Thank you Ward for all the great intell and explanations

[@regbale]

How is this stranding of astronauts not being talked about more?

[@utmastuh]

It was but the media doesn't understand the nuances enough to discuss it beyond "astronauts are stranded." A few days ago all major news outlets did this story

[@Fang70]

Stranded = NASA can't get the astronauts back to Earth. Right now, NASA has two independent ways of getting them back, Dragon and Soyuz, thus they aren't stranded and never were.

[@LackofFaithify]

America admit it has a problem? Are you new here?

[@jastrapper190]

Shhhhhhh you’re supposed to use different language… this administration doesn’t admit failure and they certainly don’t want you even hinting at the obvious. Just pretend so they aren’t embarrassed… again. Hey everyone look… another Chinese Balloon floating from coast to coast. Where’s AWOL Austin?

[@bluskytoo]

they want this story pushed down. It makes NASA look bad.

[@terryconnell]

I like your channel and your background. Today, the Mesa tops the Marshall cab...

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

NASA is the one who lost two shuttle crews... in terms of body count actually slightly worse than the Soviet Space Program over thesame period (which is quite an achievement)... I will implicitly trust quite a few American institutions, NASA is not necessarily one of them. as far as I understand, currently, trying to undock that vehicles will in itself present quite a challenge to everyone involved... and I believe, by its more recent moves, Boeing is itself kind of stepping away from the race for space, cutting that department. at least, it seems like they are making preparation in that direction such as changing the structure of the company in a way incompatible with certifying the craft for new contracts. so I do believe SpaceX will be for now the only option out there... which is a pity because monopoly is never a good thing... but, hopefully other growing companies like Artemis will also be in the Market soon.

[@LoricSwift]

Its a shame, but its impossible not to be critical of Boeing lately.

[@CKILBY-zu7fq]

So.. send both ,

[@bobp3738]

The old saying among military pilots (“If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”) takes on a different meaning these days.

[@Wurtoz9643]

No? Not really. It just doesn’t make sense anymore. Or you mean that the pilots were idiots.

[@bobp3738]

⁠ Negative. Pilots trusted Boeing in war with their lives. The company’s products and cred were impeccable. A bit different today.

[@Wurtoz9643]

@@bobp3738 yeah I know. The saying doesn’t have a new meaning nowadays, it just doesn’t make sense nowadays.

[@mikechrisg467]

It means we should have kept the shuttle program going shuttles upgraded & a new & better shuttle should have been in the works

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

That's not possible. Let's just count how many different administrations there's been? There has been no consistent policy or funding. You also have a unmanned program to take care of. Projects such as exploration of Mars and the Space Telescope have priority. Also the days of the ISS are numbered.

[@solarissv777]

Shuttles were built by Boeing. And even back then they were a dangerous mess

[@hoghogwild]

@@solarissv777 Built by Rockwell..

[@T-800__]

FYI there is We Need More Space channel on YT ... From Poland

[@WoodsPrecisionArms]

Why doesn’t NASA use the vehicles from Space X that actually work? If NASA would just let SPACE X go and get out their way we would have been back to the moon with manned space craft

[@user-qq73hxryby]

They don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket, so to speak.

[@LoricSwift]

@@user-qq73hxryby And they have to do what Congress tells them.