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>> Ginger: NOW AT 4, A SETBACK FOR CREWED FLIGHTS TO SPACE. THE STARLINER CAPSULE MISSES A
CRITICAL MANEUVER AFTER A
BEAUTIFUL LIFT-OFF FROM CAPE
CANAVERAL.
NOW BOEING, NASA AND THE UNITED
LAUNCH ALLIANCE ARE WORKING
TOGETHER TO BRING THE SPACECRAFT
HOME SAFELY.
THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 4.
I’M GINGER GADSDEN.
>> Matt: GLAD YOU’RE WITH US.
I’M MATT AUSTIN.
LISA BELL AND JULIE BROUGHTON
ARE BOTH OFF TONIGHT.
THE STARLINER WAS SUPPOSED TO
TRAVEL TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
THAT’S NOT HAPPENING ANYMORE.
HERE’S A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT’S
NEXT FOR THE STARLINER.
IT WILL ORBIT IN SPACE THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING.
SO NASA, BOEING AND OTHERS CAN
COLLECT DATA.
THEN SUNDAY MORNING AT 7, THE
STARLINER WILL LAND IN WHITE
SANDS, NEW MEXICO.
BOEING OFFICIALS SAID THE
SPACECRAFT IS HEALTHY AND IT’S
EXPECTED TO LAND SAFELY.
NEWS 6’S ERIC SANDOVAL JOINS US
LIVE FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
WITH MORE ON TODAY’S LAUNCH AND
THE ISSUES THAT CAUSED ALL OF
THIS.
>> Reporter: YEAH, RIGHT NOW,
BOEING AND NASA ARE GOING
THROUGH SOME OF THAT DATA THAT
YOU JUST MENTIONED, TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT WENT
WRONG.
I’M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
THERE WAS A LOT OF DISAPPOINT
DISAPPOINTMENT THIS MORNING BUT
THERE’S A LOT OF HOPE.
>> MINUTES AFTER THE PRE-DAWN
LAUNCH OF BOEING’S UNMANNED
STARLINER CAPSULE, MISSION
ENGINEERS FACED A MISSION
JEOPARDIZING PROBLEM.
>> TODAY A LOT OF THINGS WENT
RIGHT.
THIS IS IN FACT WHY WE TEST.
>> Reporter: THE NASA
ADMINISTRATOR SAYS A TIMING
MECHANISM ON SOME OF THE
THRUSTERS WAS OFF.
THEY DIDN’T FIRE WHEN THEY WERE
SUPPOSED TO.
HE SAYS THE THRUSTERS WERE VITAL
TO BRINGING THE STARLINER HIGH
ENOUGH TO DOCK WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
NOW THE DOCKING IS SCRAPPED AND
STARLINER IS COMING HOME EARLY.
>> WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO
FLYING ON STARLINER.
WE DON’T HAVE ANY SAFETY
CONCERNS.
>> Reporter: NICOLE MANN IS ONE
OF THE THREE ASTRONAUTS WHO WILL
EVENTUALLY TRAVEL ON THE
STARLINER.
SHE SAYS AN ISSUE LIKE THIS IS
WHAT THEY TRAIN FOR.
>> THIS VEHICLE IS A NEW LEVEL
OF AUTOMATION WE’VE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
SO WHAT WE’RE REALLY DOING IS
TESTING THE AUTOMATION.
THAT’S WHY YOU HAVE TEST PILOTS
ON BOARD, ESPECIALLY FOR THE
EARLY MISSIONS.
THAT’S OUR JOB.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TRAINED TO DO.
>> Reporter: NOW, NASA’S
ADMINISTRATOR IS QUICK TO POINT
OUT THIS IS A TEST TODAY.
VERY IMPORTANT TO PASS ALONG TO
YOU.
THE STARLINER IS GOING TO STAY
UP IN EARTH’S ORBIT UNTIL SUNDAY
AND IT WILL COME BACK TO EARTH
AT WHITE SANDS NEW MEXICO.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE
OF STARLINER?
WE ASKED SPACE ANALYST BILL
HARWOOD WHAT HE THINKS.
WE’LL SHARE IT WITH YOU TONIGHT
AT 5:00.
WE’RE LIVE AT KENNEDY SPACE
CENTER, ERIC SANDOVAL, GETTING
RESULTS, BACK TO YOU.
>> Matt: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> Ginger: DIGITAL JOURNALIST
EMILY SPECHT IS HERE TO TALK
ABOUT THE STARLINER.
SHE’S BEEN COVERING THE PROGRAM
FOR YEARS NOW.
FIRST OFF, THE NASA
ADMINISTRATOR, THE FIRST THING
HE SAID WHEN HE CAME OUT WAS A
LOT OF THINGS WENT RIGHT TODAY.
WHAT WENT RIGHT?
>> Reporter: THAT’S RIGHT.
I THINK HE WANTED TO START WITH
THE SUPPORT OF THE NASA, U.L.A.
AND BOEING TEAMS LITERALLY
WORKING TO MAKE THIS DAY HAPPEN.
ONE OF THE THINGS HE POINTED OUT
THAT WENT REALLY WELL FOR THE
LAUNCH, WHICH IS EXPECTED, IT
WAS THE ATLAS V ROCKET, A
SPECIAL CONFIGURATION BUT IT
PERFORMED BEAUTIFULLY.
THAT’S A REALLY PLUS -- A GOOD
THING THAT HAPPENED.
>> Ginger: SURE, YEAH.
>> Matt: THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON
WHAT’S RIGHT, P.R.-WISE, TOO, I
WOULD IMAGINE.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS THING
LANDS IN WHITE SANDS NEW MEXICO?
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SPACECRAFT?
>> IT’S GOING TO COME DOWN VIA
PARACHUTES AND HOPEFULLY HAVE A
SAFE, SOFT LANDING IN WHITE
SANDS NEW MEXICO.
THEY’RE ALREADY TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT CAUSED
THE COMPUTER ISSUE WITH THE
CLOCK.
THEY’RE GOING TO GO FROM THERE
AND WORK BACKWARDS AND FIGURE
OUT WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW TO
REPAIR IT.
THIS IS THE SAME SPACECRAFT
WE’LL HAVE TWO ASTRONAUTS
LAUNCHING ON HOPEFULLY IN THE
NEAR FUTURE.
>> Ginger: HOPEFULLY IN THE NEAR
FUTURE.
WHEN WE WERE STARTED THE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM IN THE BEGINNING, THERE
WERE ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD.
THAT WAS NOT THE CASE TODAY.
WILL THEY DO ANOTHER UNCREWED
TEST DO YOU THINK?
>> I DON’T KNOW, AND THEY DON’T
KNOW AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
THEY POINTED OUT THE DOCKING AT
THE SPACE STATION WHICH WAS PART
OF THE TEST WHICH WAS NOT A
REQUIREMENT TO EVENTUALLY
LAUNCHING THE CREW.
WE’VE LAUNCHED SPACECRAFTS
BEFORE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THIS IS A DIFFERENT PRECEDENT TO
BE SET HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
>> Matt: AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IF
HUMANS WERE ON BOARD, THEY WOULD
BE OKAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
THE ASTRONAUTS CAME OUT AND SAID
HAD WE BEEN ON BOARD, OUR
TRAINING WOULD HAVE KICKED IN
LIKE THAT AND WE WOULD HAVE
TAKEN OVER AND STEERED THAT BABY
HOME.
>> Ginger: THAT’S WHY THEY HAVE
TEST PILOTS DOING THIS JOB.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD
WORK THIS MORNING.
GREAT JOB THIS MORNING AND GREAT
JOB NOW.
SpaceX’S CREW DRAGON ALSO HAD
TROUBLE IN THE RACE BACK TO
GROUND SOIL.
IN APRIL THE CREW DRAGON BLEW
UP.
SpaceX AND NASA LATER SAID A
LEAKING VALVE CAUSED THE
EXPLOSION.
LAST MONTH, SpaceX DID ANOTHER
STATIC TEST FIRE OF THE ABORT
THRUSTERS SENDING UP A BRIEF
CLOUD OF DUST.
THEY’RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER TEST
OF THE SPACECRAFT NEXT MONTH.
WE CHECKED ELON MUSK’S TWITTER
ACCOUNT.
HE HAS NOT COMMENTED ON TODAY’S
SETBACK.
YOU CAN FIND A FULL RECAP OF
TODAY’S LAUNCH.
THE DETAILS TO PUT ASTRONAUTS
BACK IN SPACE AND MORE ON THE