• Steve@startrek.website
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        5 months ago

        After this, the FAA should require Boeing to pay spacex to maintain a crew dragon rescue ready to launch at all times the starliner is on orbit.

        • mercano@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          5 months ago

          Maybe. There are only four Crew Dragons. One’s attached to the station right now, and one’s had its docking equipment removed in preparation for the spacewalk on the Polaris Dawn mission. That leaves two. I’m sure one’s already in prep for the next regularly scheduled crew rotation. A rescue mission would mean either leaving two of the astronauts scheduled to fly that flight on the ground to leave open seats for the Starliner crew, or a special mission using the last Dragon.

            • mercano@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              5 months ago

              Originally they had planned on two more seats in the Crew Dragon behind / below the commander and pilot, but when they switched from a powered land landing to a parachute splashdown, they had to adjust the angles of the seats & the travel in the seat suspension. Those changes required them to drop the second row of seats.