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It was a disaster for Boeing, it was not a disaster for the astronauts. Extending stays at the station is not unheard of for test flights, the Crew Dragon test

It was a disaster for Boeing, it was not a disaster for the astronauts. Extending stays at the station is not unheard of for test flights, the Crew Dragon test flight also involved the crew staying longer than initially intended, as NASA decided that it'd be a more effective use of resources to do so. SpaceX did not have to bump 2 trained astronauts to return them to Earth. That was simply the cheapest, least disruptive way to bring them back. There has always been the option of sending a dedicated Dragon for them, but that would require NASA to pay for an entire additional Dragon mission just to bring two people back who are in no urgent need of bringing back. You go to an island for your employer, and the ferry breaks down once you get there. While your employer can send another ferry soon to bring you back, they ask if you'd be okay staying for a rotation because that'd be more convenient for them. They also arrange a means for you to leave in case of an emergency. You're enjoying the island, so you agree. The replacement ferry is not a rescue. Starliner made the uncrewed return just fine, which means that on NASA's side, the return to flight should not be too complicated (well, besides showing that the doghouse deformation issues have been resolved) and should not involve a redo of this flight. What remains to be seen is what position Boeing takes on it, as they have been very quiet over if they're going to continue in Commercial Crew.

sneak 2y ago
They could also pay Russia to bring them back to Kazakhstan on a Soyuz. Another American ISS astronaut, Tracy Dyson, came back in this manner last Monday.
- dotnet00 2y ago
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  - sneak 2y ago
    I don’t think the geopolitical issues directly affect ISS operational stuff whatsoever. The missions of the Roscosmos and NASA (and ESA and JAXA and CSA) teams have nothing to do with nationalism or geopolitics and I assume everyone managing them and participating in them is smart enough to realize that. They didn’t fuck with NASA when Dubya invaded a country, after all. Every spacefaring superpower has its fingers in a bunch of mass murder pies somewhere. There is no geopolitical upside to Russia or geopolitical downside to the US for NASA to contract Roscosmos to rescue some Americans from space. I imagine SpaceX was just faster and cheaper and already had a mission scheduled.
  - lupusreal 2y ago
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    - dotnet00 2y ago
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      - skissane 2y ago
        NASA still gives Roscosmos money, in exchange for Roscosmos doing ISS-related stuff for NASA. NASA has a contract with Roscosmos for "joint spaceflight activities" which does not expire until the end of this year. I don't know if it can be extended past this year or not, but since the contract dates to 1993, I suspect they will continue to extend it year-by-year until the ISS program is terminated. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NAS1510110_8000_-NONE-_-NONE- https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NAS1510110_8000_-... So far this year NASA has executed 7 contract modifications (from February through September), under which it has paid Roscosmos an additional US$2.6 million. While that's not a huge amount of money, it doesn't look like there is a hard prohibition on NASA paying Roscosmos for services.
        dotnet00 2y ago
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        lupusreal 2y ago
        Why are you still making up bullshit? NASA isn't cooperating with Russia because their hands are tied by prewar contracts. They're cooperating with Russia because it's a mutually beneficial arrangement which was extended in 2023 after Russia's war began. https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russia-us-agree-additional-us-astronaut-flight-iss-interfax-2023-08-25/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russia-us-agree-add... August 25, 2023 > Aug 25 (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. space authorities have agreed an additional flight for an American astronaut on board Russia's Soyuz MS spacecraft, Interfax news agency said on Friday, in a rare sign of bilateral cooperation at a time of high tension over Ukraine. You have the same internet I do, you should be able to find this information yourself. Stop being a dumbass, unsubscribe from your reddit or wherever it is that's influencing you to think you can know things by bullshitting instead of researching.

sneak 2y ago

They could also pay Russia to bring them back to Kazakhstan on a Soyuz. Another American ISS astronaut, Tracy Dyson, came back in this manner last Monday.

dotnet00 2y ago
[flagged]
- sneak 2y ago
  I don’t think the geopolitical issues directly affect ISS operational stuff whatsoever. The missions of the Roscosmos and NASA (and ESA and JAXA and CSA) teams have nothing to do with nationalism or geopolitics and I assume everyone managing them and participating in them is smart enough to realize that. They didn’t fuck with NASA when Dubya invaded a country, after all. Every spacefaring superpower has its fingers in a bunch of mass murder pies somewhere. There is no geopolitical upside to Russia or geopolitical downside to the US for NASA to contract Roscosmos to rescue some Americans from space. I imagine SpaceX was just faster and cheaper and already had a mission scheduled.
- lupusreal 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - dotnet00 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - skissane 2y ago
      NASA still gives Roscosmos money, in exchange for Roscosmos doing ISS-related stuff for NASA. NASA has a contract with Roscosmos for "joint spaceflight activities" which does not expire until the end of this year. I don't know if it can be extended past this year or not, but since the contract dates to 1993, I suspect they will continue to extend it year-by-year until the ISS program is terminated. https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NAS1510110_8000_-NONE-_-NONE- https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_NAS1510110_8000_-... So far this year NASA has executed 7 contract modifications (from February through September), under which it has paid Roscosmos an additional US$2.6 million. While that's not a huge amount of money, it doesn't look like there is a hard prohibition on NASA paying Roscosmos for services.
      - dotnet00 2y ago
        [flagged]
        lupusreal 2y ago
        Why are you still making up bullshit? NASA isn't cooperating with Russia because their hands are tied by prewar contracts. They're cooperating with Russia because it's a mutually beneficial arrangement which was extended in 2023 after Russia's war began. https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russia-us-agree-additional-us-astronaut-flight-iss-interfax-2023-08-25/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russia-us-agree-add... August 25, 2023 > Aug 25 (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. space authorities have agreed an additional flight for an American astronaut on board Russia's Soyuz MS spacecraft, Interfax news agency said on Friday, in a rare sign of bilateral cooperation at a time of high tension over Ukraine. You have the same internet I do, you should be able to find this information yourself. Stop being a dumbass, unsubscribe from your reddit or wherever it is that's influencing you to think you can know things by bullshitting instead of researching.