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Despite a test flight that docked with the International Space Station but left the Boeing Starliner capsule returning empty, the spacecraft still could become a significant part of NASA's commercial payload program.

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NASA needs Boeing’s Starliner, so development most likely will continue - UPI.com Top News U.S. News World News Featured Odd News Entertainment Movies Music TV Science Health Sports NFL MLB NBA Soccer Voices Photos News US News World News Entertainment Sports Archive Almanac Trending Perry Farrell Fantasy football Amazon employees Pager explosion 'Longmire' Crossbow murder Brain microplastics Mega Millions A-fib risk Advertisement Science News Sept. 10, 2024 / 5:00 AM NASA needs Boeing's Starliner, so development most likely will continue By Mike Heuer 1 of 8 | Boeing and NASA teams work outside Boeing's Starliner capsule after it landed uncrewed on Friday at White Sands, New Mexico. NASA Photo by Aubrey Gemignani | License Photo Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Despite its test flight that docked with the International Space Station but left the Boeing Starliner capsule coming back to Earth empty, the spacecraft still could become a significant part of NASA's commercial payload program. Two aerospace experts say Starliner flights likely will continue, despite its first crewed mission flight ending with a crewless return Saturday. Advertisement "I don't think this is a showstopper for future missions," Olivier de Weck, associate department head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AeroAstro program, told UPI. "It is officially a test flight, but NASA concluded the risk to the crew is higher than they wanted," de Weck said. "I do expect that the technical problem will be solved and I do expect that the Starliner program will continue." Related Uncrewed Boeing Starliner lands safely in New Mexico NASA prepares for Boeing Starliner's uncrewed return to Earth NASA shares reduced Crew-9 team that will return stranded astronauts from ISS Purdue University's Uhrig & Vournas Aeronautics and Astronautics head William Crossley told UPI Boeing officials were confident they could bring Starliner back safely, but NASA was "erring on the side of caution" to protect astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. Advertisement "The fact that a test flight of a vehicle having problems shouldn't be so surprising," Crossley said. "This incident is getting a huge amount of attention because it's a manned test flight. We always take manned space flights incredibly seriously, especially coming out of the two shuttle accidents." The space suttle Challenger exploded shortly after lifting off Jan. 28, 1986, killing its crew of seven. The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry Feb. 1, 2003, killing its crew of seven. "Space is actually still really hard," Crossley said. "We've gotten really good at it, but we're not perfect at it. We test as much as we can and try to get the risk as low as we can in this industry, but mathematically it's impossible to have zero risk." Helium leaks, thruster problems In Starliner's case, helium leaks and their effect on thrusters turned a 10-day crewed flight test a months-long ordeal. "Having thrusters leak is not uncommon," Crossley said. "Helium is really tiny, so it's prone to having leaks in systems. "It's not as heavy as nitrogen, so they like to use helium to push all of the propellant out of the tanks." De Weck said when helium leaks, it can weaken the thrusters and affect the ability to safely maneuver spacecraft like Starliner. Advertisement "Helium is used as a pressurization gas for both the oxidizer and fuel," de Weck said. "If you run out of helium prematurely, there's not enough pressure and the thruster fails." He said the use of Teflon seals also has contributed to the thruster problems. "Teflon is a material that the surface treatment to make smooth surfaces that reduce the friction," de Weck said. "When the thruster is fired, the Teflon tends to warm up and expand, and it's been more than expected, so it's impacted the flow, particularly of the oxidizer. "Basically, what it's done

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