Boeing earlier this week identified a parachute-free deployment while testing Starliner capsules. The company announced that the misplaced pin was the cause of the problem.
On Tuesday, Boeing conducted a critical stop test of the capsule to direct astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). For manned technology, stop-launch testing is very important. Engineers test what happens if something goes wrong during launch and passengers need to evacuate.
This test was mostly successful, but there was a stumbling block when the capsule was pushed out of the rocket and arrived 1 mile from the launch point. Only two of the three parachutes that slowed down the capsules were opened, and the third parachute failed to deploy.
Investigations have revealed that Boeing has found the cause of the parachute not opening. John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing's commercial crew, reported that the results of the survey were in contact with journalists, as reported by Space Flight Now.
"The root cause is the lack of a definite connection between the pilot suit and the main suit strap," Mulholland said. The pilot parachute is fired first and the main parachute is pulled back to inflate. However, in this case, the pilot parachute was not properly connected to the main parachute, so it was not successfully deployed. The connection between the two parachutes is a loop with a pin inserted inside, both of which are surrounded by a sheath. However, the sheath is difficult to see if the pins are fastened correctly.
Mulholland said, "In this particular case, the pin did not pass through the loop, but because of the protective cover, it was not found during the initial visual inspection." “Afterwards, when we looked at the detailed close-up [when we] I could tie the two pieces together. ”
Boeing found this problem, I'm sure it can solve it. The test also showed that the capsule can safely land if only two of the three parachutes are placed. Therefore, despite hiccups, overall good news for Starliner, and the orbital flight test for capsules scheduled for December should not be delayed.
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