THE UNYIELDING JOURNEY: HOW HELIUM LEAKS CAN'T HALT NASA'S STARLINER FROM REACHING THE STARS

The dark unknown of space exploration is no different: glitches, delays, disappointments, and even failures will come as surely as night in the vast Universe. Still, neither human hubris nor human curiosity ever lets go, never gives up, and never stops trying to learn more. That fact is highlighted by the latest chapter of human space exploration: this week, after a troubling issue of a helium leak in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, NASA and Boeing announced a launch date for the Starliner’s first crewed test flight and for the inauguration of the Commercial Crew Program.

THE HELIUM LEAK: A STUBBORN ADVERSARY

But as Boeing prepares for a test flight of the Starliner this summer, the spectre of the helium leak has become an elephant in the room, a ‘non-trivial and tenacious leak’ as a senior NASA official called it in March, ‘that just never goes away’. Discovered during mission preparations, the issue has been a nightmare for flight preparations, delaying schedules and defying easy fixes.

THE CLOCK TICKS: RESOLUTE STEPS FORWARD

Then, showing far more persistence than Starliner’s rocket motors ever did, NASA and Boeing have not allowed the obstacle to stop them. The flight is now slated for crew for 1 June 2023. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will ride Starliner on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to orbit.

ENGINEERING INGENUITY: FACING THE CHALLENGENGE

Officials have decided to do so because there is a strategy involved. Had NASA and Boeing addressed every new glitch as it turned up – as it must by law – it would have taken months to fix the helium leak, according to Mark Nappi of Boeing.

HARNESSING HELIUM: THE LIFELINE OF THRUSTERS

Helium is the fluid that moves the thrusters for the Starliner, providing the attitude control that allows the spacecraft to function. This attitude control is trickier than on Earth because there is no ground or walls here – there’s nothing but deep space. But it’s also more dangerous because a mistake can result in a crash instead of a mere broken leg.

THE UNWAVERING MISSION: A TESTAMENT TO COLLABORATION

Wearing yellow vests, NASA and Boeing flight controllers track the helium leak ahead of the launch window, ready to mitigate any escalation. Like others involved in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, they are determined to provide safe, human-rated transport to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

THE BIGGER PICTURE: A SHARED VISION OF SPACE EXPLORATION

In place of a purely technological test mission, this launch is the expression of a human desire to know. It’s not that NASA hasn’t faced previous setbacks and hurdles on the path to reach for the stars – from Kennedy’s promise to get America to the Moon before the Russians, to the disasters of Apollo 1 and the infamous Challenger and Columbia shuttles. Those hurdles were also born out of a shared vision, a collective will towards exploring space, in the face of difficulties and adversity.

UNVEILING THE FORCE BEHIND THE MISSION

This spirit, which exists beyond the details of spaceflight, was illustrated by Boeing’s vow to continue with a crewed test flight of the Starliner, no matter how difficult it might be. It inspires us to look past the limits of our current capabilities and to imagine what it might be like to travel into the great unknown. It is our desire to build, explore, dream, solve, and leave our mark on the cosmic record.

Standing on the cusp of this bold leap forward, it is important to understand the driving force behind it. It’s not the helium fuel of the spacecraft’s thrusters, nor is it the latest technological marvels that allow such an endeavour. It’s the human will to do so, a collaboration of minds, and the desire to explore that propels us into the heavens.