I still find it hard to believe that the current Starliner doesn't have the ability to undock automatically without humans on board. The first test flight was able to do that.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-confirms-slip-of-...
There's a hard rule for ISS that no astronaut may be on board the ISS without a corresponding return vehicle being docked at all times. This rule is effectively being violated for the two Starliner astronauts because they can't return on Starliner. And now no new Crew Dragons may berth without the current crew returning on the currently berthed Crew Dragon.
What a mess.
"Well-placed sources said the current flight software on board Starliner, as configured, cannot perform an automated undocking from the space station and entry into Earth’s atmosphere. It will take about four weeks to update and validate the software for an autonomous return, should NASA decide it would be safer to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth inside a Crew Dragon spacecraft.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-confirms-slip-of-...
It seems to me like one more blatant shortcut9 that regulators permitted, and Boeing leadership check the box on a form saying “capability complete”
ISS operations have very strict requirements about safety and especially about avoiding collisions with the station under any circumstance. There are also differences in requirements for crewed and uncrewed flights. For these reasons it makes sense that the configurations are different and would need to be updated if they switch to fully automated.
NASA has been pretty clear that Starliner could be used as an emergency escape if necessary. That leads me to think the concern is more about collision with the ISS that with the ability to re-enter safely.
Maybe Boeing should send up the CEO with his golden parachute.
I don't end up thinking that. To completely make up a number, if there was a capsule with a 5% chance of failure to reenter it would still be a valid emergency escape.
I'd like to think NASA would consider all contingencies, but the Challenger O-ring disaster showed they can be as incompetent as Boeing themselves.
“The capsule needs the crew!”
Some pressure to nasa to fly the crew back on this and also some ass covering if the really embarrassing occurs: the unmanned capsule does fail - “hey everyone it just failed because it had no crew! Nothing to worry about!”
See for example how Boeing works with the airplanes ( https://theprint.in/world/boeing-engineers-blame-cheap-india... )
At the end, I wouldn't be surprised if ChatGPT writes parts of critical code in some companies.
Just it would be very problematic to say it and nobody has interest into revealing that.