posted 04-27-2016 12:15 AM               

Starliner simulators: Astronauts 'fly' Boeing spacecraft trainers

With the flick of a few virtual switches and the use of a control stick, two NASA astronauts undocked Boeing's new commercial spacecraft from the International Space Station on Tuesday (April 26) – until thunderstorms over St. Louis cut the simulation short.

The (real-life) weather aside, astronauts Eric Boe and Suni Williams said their simulated spaceflight experience was a success as they concluded the acceptance evaluations for the two CST-100 Starliner Crew Part Task Trainers (CPTT) at Boeing's St. Louis facilities.

"Although [the thunderstorm] was making a lot of noise, we completed what we expected to do," stated Boe, who with Williams and astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken comprise NASA's first 'cadre' of commercial crew trainees. "It was a good day."

posted 09-28-2016 08:15 PM               

Boeing's Starliner crew trainers installed in historic NASA simulator facility

For the past 50 years, the Mission Simulator and Training Facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston has been used to prepare astronauts and Mission Control support teams to fly NASA spacecraft to orbit and beyond.

Now, after being home to Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle simulators, the building is again ready to support the next generation of spacecraft. But this time, the vehicles do not belong to NASA.

The Boeing Company on Wednesday (Sep. 28) debuted to the media the installation of its first two simulators that will support training astronauts for flights on board its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft.

posted 01-12-2017 08:38 AM               

Starliner Simulator Arrives in Houston

The Boeing Mission Simulator, a full-scale mock-up of the Starliner outfitted with the same state-of-the-art interior as the real spacecraft, arrived today (Jan. 11) at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. NASA astronauts Eric Boe and Suni Williams worked with the simulator after its assembly in St. Louis before it was shipped to Texas.

The purpose of the simulator is to allow astronauts to rehearse all aspects of a mission to the International Space Station so the detailed functions they might need to perform will seem as routine as possible. The Starliner is autonomous, but the training tools designed for the spacecraft will allow an astronaut to go beyond the typical mission parameters to train for the unexpected while in a safe environment.

The simulator will join Boeing's Crew Part-Task Trainers in the Jake Garn Mission Simulator and Training Facility, which were installed in 2016. The part-task trainers simulate specific aspects of a flight whereas the large mission simulator allows the astronaut to be fully immersed in the spaceflight experience from beginning to end.

Last year, Boeing also unveiled an entire training facility in Houston call the Space Training, Analysis and Review Facility, or STAR, which will house two other training devices all designed to help astronauts and support teams from Mission Control to astronauts aboard the space station. Together, all training tools will prepare astronauts for variety of situations while in flight.

posted 06-11-2020 07:00 AM               

Starline-VR: Boeing adds new dimension to astronaut training with virtual reality

When Chris Ferguson next launches to the International Space Station, he will don a helmet and position himself in front of the control console of Boeing's new commercial spacecraft.

The same can now be said for how he will prepare for the flight, too.