Welp...
We now know who is going to be Boeing's 'sacrificial lamb'...
Boeing Starliner program manager Mark Nappi told the New York Times earlier this week that it's no surprise that the company's Starliner crewed flight test is taking longer than expected — so far, almost ten times longer than expected. NASA astronauts Butch Williams and Suni Wilmore are on Day 77 of their eight-day stay aboard the International Space Station.
Nappi says he regrets not doing a better job of managing expectations.
"I think we all knew that it was going to go longer than that," Nappi told the NYT. "We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about how much longer, but I think it’s my regret that we didn’t just say ‘We’re going to stay up there until we get everything done that we want to go do.'"
Full article, HERE.
And they're not saying because they have NO idea... They're just trying to salvage their program at this point. I hope they are at least 'thinking' about the astronauts as they do the evaluations.
However, the impact on the ISS 'program plan' is putting a lot of the upcoming operations in jeopardy. Not in the least due to the lack of food (extra bodies for now 80+ days), plus blocking a parking spot, and the potential for Crew Dragon to have to go 'light' with only 2 astronauts vice the 4 that are planned, along with the experiments they had scheduled.
And NASA is apparently 'not' making the hard decision to kick Boeing to the curb so that the program plan gets back on track. The ISS only has about five more years before it gets deorbited...
Sigh... How the mighty have fallen...
"Nappi says he regrets not doing a better job of managing expectations." 🤦♂️ How to apologize without apologizing. Translation: "I wish I'd made people think we really had no chance." My dad used to work as a computer programmer for Boeing back in the early 70s when the Vietnam War was going on. I used to think their helicopters and airplanes were the best. However, after researching the B-29, I can see the beginnings of Boeing's fall. All that money shoved at them with the proviso that they meet insane production schedules for aircraft with thoroughly untested technology by the "bomber generals," who were totally indifferent to aircrew losses as long as the missions proved concepts that allowed them to control the USAAF. Not much different from the Fighter Pilot Mafia (FPM) infesting the AF today. 🤬 I really hate politics when it touches on national defense or safety. If a concept doesn't work or needs more time in the lab, you take it offline.