Boeing Starliner Abort Test

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/boeing-s-starliner-completes-pad-abort-test-for-commercial-crew

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed a critical safety milestone on Monday in an end-to-end test of its abort system. The Pad Abort Test took place at Launch Complex 32 at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The test was designed to verify each of Starliner’s systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. This was Boeing’s first flight test with Starliner as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight launches to the International Space Station from American soil.
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I don't have engineering data to dispute whether this was a successful test. Just the video showed:

1. Only two of three parachutes deployed - IMHO, this area will get extra effort for the next month. That two deployed and the capsule and cargo survived is good but you want all three parachutes.
2. Hypergolic fuel cloud - the service module separates and crashes but then released a large could of hypergolic 'vapors.' IMHO, it should have burned all of the fuel and oxidizer before crashing as the unburned stuff is pretty wicked.
3. Count down reached 'zero' and a pause - this could have been bad mission control operator but I would really want to see if the 'launch' signal was followed by what the video shows as a delay.

Bob Wilson

 

Spacex lost a Dragon from a fuel and oxidizer leak. They fixed it by using burst disks in addition to the valves. They are also improving the parachutes with stronger risers.

The next Dragon test is at max-Q on a Falcon 9. It should be impressive and the booster is not expected to survive.

Bob Wilson