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Transcript/Script The Week in Space (TV)
HEADLINE: Boeing Nails ISS Roundtrip After Setbacks
TEASER: World’s Largest Aerospace Manufacturer Joins Miles-High Club
PUBLISHED AT: 05/26/2022 at 3:30pm
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP/ REUTERS/ NASA/ NASA TV/ World Economic Forum
SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, Bowman
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP/ REUTERS/ NASA/ NASA TV/ World Economic Fotrum
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 3:01
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
[[INTRO: Two-and-a-half years after its first failed attempt, the world’s largest aerospace manufacturer scores in a roundtrip mission to the International Space Station. Plus, the European Space Agency expects continued diplomacy aboard the ISS. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space.]]
((mandatory cg NASA))
((NARRATOR))
We begin this week at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, where aerospace behemoth Boeing successfully landed its Starliner capsule. The Starliner gives NASA another potential astronaut rideshare to the International Space Station like Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX. But Starliner’s not quite ready for primetime ((immediate use)).
[RADIO TRACK: NASA’s Kathy Lueders of the Space Operations Directorate speaking at a NASA news conference.]
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((Kathy Lueders, NASA))
“I want to emphasize this is a test flight. You know, we’re going through this as a demonstration mission. It’s a NASA launch and re-entry. Just want to make that point.”
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((NARRATOR))
The trip started last week from this launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where the uncrewed Starliner blasted off on its way to a third test after previous attempts suffered software setbacks and corroded valves.
The only previous time Boeing’s Starliner made it to space, it completely missed the ISS and ended up in the wrong orbit.
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((NARRATOR))
But this time, the capsule successfully docked with the ISS, marking a milestone in Boeing’s space program while also putting NASA closer to competing bids by private spaceflight companies seeking to shuttle astronauts to and from space.
[RADIO TRACK: From the ISS, NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren ((CHELL LIND-grin)) speaking by way of NASA feed.]
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((Kjell Lindgren, NASA Astronaut))
“I think that we’ve just learned, you know, what we are capable of when we were working together as a team. It’s been phenomenal to see Boeing – the commercial crew program – the NASA team all working together to make this happen. We know it’s been a long road, and we’re just overjoyed to be a part of the success.”
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((NARRATOR))
Once docked, astronauts toured the Starliner capsule and met its passengers: a test dummy named Rosie the Rocketeer and “Jeb” Kerman, a “Kerbonaut” from the popular “Kerbal Space Program”- video game series about space exploration.
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((NARRATOR))
Astronauts prepped Starliner for departure Tuesday after having unloaded groceries and gear the capsule carried to space.
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And by Wednesday, Starliner bid the ISS farewell on its way back to Earth. But the return trip wasn’t a total success as there was a failure in return thrusters that was resolved midair by a backup system. If Boeing resolves its issues on the ground, NASA
test pilots could fly aboard a crewed Starliner launch by year’s end… with competitor SpaceX having a three-year lead.
Finally, this week, Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine remains is a constant concern for those orbiting hundreds of kilometers above Earth – but has not affected work aboard the ISS.
[RADIO TRACK: The ESA’s Samantha Cristoforetti speaking from the orbiting station to the World Economic Forum, as carried by Reuters.]
((mandatory cg World Economic Forum))
((Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA Astronaut))
“On a personal level, our personal friendship to our colleagues whom we have known for quite a long time, and on a professional level, our common commitment to the success of the mission and to continuing the amazing work of science and technological advancement that we perform on a daily basis here on the International Space Station.
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((NARRATOR))
Russia threatened to withdraw from the ISS after the West slapped sanctions on the country for invading Ukraine. The ESA director says a Russian withdrawal is unlikely, as the space partnership means everyone works together, or the ISS falls apart.
((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington D.C.
Embargo DateMay 26, 2022 16:08 EDT
Byline((Arash Arabasadi, VOA News))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
