Technologies

Boeing Starliner test flight to ISS pushed back to 2022

A planned launch in August didn’t work out, and now it looks like we’ll have to wait a while.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft continues to have trouble making it to the International Space Station, with its uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 to the ISS now getting pushed into next year. The test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which sees the space agency working with private companies like Boeing and SpaceX to shuttle astronauts to the station.

NASA said Friday that the team behind OFT-2 «is working toward launch opportunities in the first half of 2022.» That follows a scrubbed launch this past August. In December 2019, the first major Starliner flight test didn’t go as planned, with the uncrewed spacecraft launching, but experiencing a timing glitch and failing to reach the ISS. It did, however, safely return to Earth.

The issue now, with OGT-2, has to do with an «oxidizer isolation valve issue on the Starliner service module propulsion system,» NASA said yesterday in a blog post.

«This is a complex issue involving hazardous commodities and intricate areas of the spacecraft that are not easily accessed. It has taken a methodical approach and sound engineering to effectively examine,» Steve Stich, manager of the Commercial Crew Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said in the post.

In addition to trying to achieve NASA’s goal of «safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit,» the Commercial Crew Program ties in with the space agency’s Artemis and Moon to Mars plans. Artemis calls for putting the first woman and next man on the moon sometime soon, and eventually setting up sustainable exploration there. Knowledge gained from Artemis will be put to use in getting ready to send astronauts to the red planet.

So far, SpaceX and its Crew Dragon spacecraft have had better luck than Boeing when it comes to the Commercial Crew Program. After some delays of its own, the Elon Musk-founded company completed its Demo-1 uncrewed test mission in 2019 and has since shuttled astronauts to the ISS several times. Earlier this week, NASA said it was reassigning a pair of astronauts from Boeing missions to an upcoming SpaceX mission. In April, NASA announced it had selected SpaceX to provide the human landing system for the Artemis program.

There’s a space-tourism angle for SpaceX as well. In June, the company signed a deal to send space tourists to the ISS starting next year (at a reported $55 million price tag per seat). And last month SpaceX took a step in that direction when its Inspiration4 mission sent a crew composed of private citizens orbiting around the Earth.

It’s not clear when, exactly, Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will happen.

«Potential launch windows for OFT-2 continue to be assessed by NASA, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and the Eastern Range,» NASA said in its post. «The team currently is working toward opportunities in the first half of 2022 pending hardware readiness, the rocket manifest, and space station availability.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Oct. 31

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 31.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Happy Halloween! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword features the word «BOO!» in a square on the last line of the grid. That’s not just a Halloween greeting, it’s part of the answer that spans both 9-Across and 10-Across, so read the answers to both those with the «boo» in the middle to solve it. And then, the puzzle-makers use that «BOO!» again, to help make the answer to 3-Down. Read on for all the answers, complete with added boos. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Buffalo hockey player
Answer: SABRE

6A clue: «I’ll have the ___» (frequent customer’s order)
Answer: USUAL

7A clue: Contents of a volcano
Answer: MAGMA

8A clue: Adjust to a new environment
Answer: ADAPT

9A clue: With 10-Across, last car on a train
Answer: CA

10A clue: See 9-Across
Answer: SE

(The «Boo!» shown in the grid helps make the word CABOOSE)

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Poison» shrub
Answer: SUMAC

2D clue: Carne ___
Answer: ASADA

3D clue: Imaginary cause of fear
Answer: BUGA

(The «Boo!» shown in the grid helps make the word BUGABOO)

4D clue: Accessible alternatives to staircases
Answer: RAMPS

5D clue: Make extremely happy
Answer: ELATE

Technologies

Live-Action ‘Call of Duty’ Movie Reportedly Being Co-Written by Taylor Sheridan

The Yellowstone co-creator will reportedly team up with Peter Berg on the Paramount film.

Yellowstone, Landman and, now, Call of Duty. Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of the aforementioned hit shows, will co-write Paramount and Activision’s upcoming live-action video game adaptation, according to a report from Variety on Thursday.

Peter Berg will also co-write and direct the movie, which was announced last month. Berg previously directed films including 2018’s Mile 22, 2012’s Battleship and 2013’s Lone Survivor, while Sheridan’s movie credits include 2016’s Hell or High Water and 2017’s Wind River. Berg, Sheridan and David Glasser will produce the Call of Duty film.

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Call of Duty is a first-person shooter military video game series that debuted in 2003. CNET senior writer David Lumb calls it «arguably the biggest shooter franchise in gaming, with millions of players picking up every year’s new entry to the series.»

Lumb said the franchise is known for its bombastic single-player campaigns, which feature globe-spanning plots that rival those of the Mission Impossible films. «A Call of Duty movie has a lot of material to draw from,» Lumb said.

He also noted that Berg’s direction of Lone Survivor would fit the grim military heroism of Call of Duty, while Taylor Sheridan’s spate of neo-Western films and shows could lend a frontier adventurism to the film.

«Their collective works seemingly harmonize with the jingoistic pro-military tune of Activision’s shooter franchise — which is probably a good thing for Call of Duty fans,» Lumb concluded.

A release announcing Paramount and Activision’s film deal teased that it’ll be «designed to thrill its massive global fan base by delivering on the hallmarks of what fans love about the iconic series, while boldly expanding the franchise to entirely new audiences.» It didn’t include cast or plot information.

The update follows recent news that Sheridan is leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal. Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.