Two US astronauts stranded in space on board Boeing's Starliner capsule | Hacker News Reader

Two US astronauts stranded in space on board Boeing's Starliner capsule

theguardian.com

28 pointsxnorswap12 comments

> Nasa and Boeing officials insist the astronauts are not stranded

But I used the original headline anyway as per guidelines.

Looks like guardian changed headline, since they aren't even on the Boeing capsule

The journalist's headline is fine. Neither NASA nor Boeing are neutral parties; it'd be improper to elevate their (self-aggrandizing) public relations statements to the status of objective reality.

The astronauts genuinely, factually, are "stranded" in space (or "stuck", in the v2.0 of the Guardian's title). This is inconvenient PR for the parties who are responsible for getting them stuck.

> The journalist's headline is fine.

After the reading the article, I think not.

1. The capsule is docked with the ISS.

2. the ISS has plenty of supplies to support both astronauts.

3. Most importantly, they can get home "with the crew" on the Dragon capsule docked to the other side of the ISS.

"Stranded in space" implies a lot of immanent danger that just doesn't seem to be there.

> Most importantly, they can get home "with the crew" on the Dragon capsule docked to the other side of the ISS.

I think their space suits are not compatible/rated for that.

> I think their space suits are not compatible/rated for that.

The article says "If the Starliner is not safely operational, it’s possible Williams and Wilmore will have to catch a ride with the crew on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is also currently attached to the International Space Station on the opposite side."

So if that's false, it points to more issues with the journalism. The headline can't correct article text, because headlines are widely understood to be far less reliable.

I don't think Dragon has spare seats[1][2]. So sure, if one of the Starliner astronauts develops a medical emergency, they might be able to take Dragon on a ride down. But that leaves two other astronauts that has to ride down Starliner.

That said, yes I agree that the headline is slanted somewhat more anti-boeing than the public knowledge supports. Yes, the delay has been long and not a great look, but double and triple checking an experimental spacecraft with some _probably small_ (taking the article as gospel here) is a very sound course of action if you don't have somewhere you need to be.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_Dragon_Endeavour (4 passengers this flight) [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon_2#Crew_Dragon (4 seats)

Have they ended the practice of keeping a Soyuz capsule docked with ISS at all times, in case of an eventuality such as this?

- ""Stranded in space" implies a lot of immanent danger that just doesn't seem to be there."

That's fair too.

(Just FYI: "immanent" is a really cool word, but I think you intended a less philosophical one, "imminent").

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/immanent#English

So is SpaceX planning a Dragon rescue mission? Do they have the prep time, what would it take to accomplish that?

Dragon can hold seven, or four, but can it fly with two trained people then return with those plus the two Starliner crew?

Who makes the decision for SpaceX to step in - Boeing, or NASA? Very embarrassing for Boeing, but I presume NASA has the authority and decision to make.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com