The Starliner descended into the Army's White Sands Missile Range in the predawn darkness, ending a two-day demo that should have lasted more than a week. All three main parachutes popped open and airbags also inflated around the spacecraft to ease the impact.A test dummy named Rosie the Rocketeer -- after Rosie the Riveter from World War II -- rode in the commander's seat. Also returning were holiday presents, clothes and food that should have been delivered to the space station crew.
The astronauts assigned to the first Starliner crew -- two from NASA and one from Boeing -- were part of the welcoming committee in the bitter cold. The capsule burned so much fuel trying to orient itself in orbit that there wasn't enough left for a space station rendezvous. Flight controllers tried to correct the problem, but between the spacecraft's position and a gap in communications, their signals did not get through. They later managed to reset the clock.
NASA is uncertain whether it will demand another test flight from Boeing -- to include a space station visit -- before putting its astronauts on board. Boeing had been shooting for its first astronaut mission in the first half of 2020. This capsule is supposed to be recycled for the second flight with crew.SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule successfully completed its first orbital demo last March.
Shocking!!!