As Boeing Cracks, Is It Capitalism or Kafka?

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are not trapped in space, according to Boeing. The two expected to return to Earth from an eight-day mission on June 18. However, five out of the 28 thrusters on their Boeing Starliner spacecraft failed when the spacecraft docked at the International Space...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dollars & sense (Somerville, Mass.) Mass.), 2024-09 (374), p.24
Main Author: Duggan, Marie Christine
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace industry
Astronauts
Defective products
Spacecraft
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Summary:Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are not trapped in space, according to Boeing. The two expected to return to Earth from an eight-day mission on June 18. However, five out of the 28 thrusters on their Boeing Starliner spacecraft failed when the spacecraft docked at the International Space Station on arrival. Does the spacecraft have enough thrusters to return to Earth? The return initially forecast for June was postponed until July, and as of September 1, the two have been there for 87 days. The earliest Williams and Wilmore are now expected to return to Earth is February 2025. In the year 2000, Boeing epitomized gravity-defying technology that put safety first. By 2024, Boeing has lost credibility, which is why we do worry for the two astronauts. The declining quality of Boeing planes is indicative of the haphazard conditions in which Boeing engineers, machinists, and quality-control inspectors work, and these production conditions are behind the egregious failures of Boeing planes.
ISSN:0012-5245